Mirror Trick

He's been doing the mirror trick since seventy-four Silver coat, the same joke, the same door Spent his last real paycheck on a pair of stack heels Still gets stage fright — funny how that feels He walks in late and takes the corner spot Orders something black, decides it's all he's got The bartender knows him by the way he stands Like a man rehearsing for a better band But he'll do the mirror trick tonight Make believe the crowd is a stadium light He'll hit the mark, he'll take the bow He's still the wildest thing in the room somehow Mirror trick — that's how he gets through Mirror trick — same as we do He was in a photograph once, back of a magazine Between an amp stack and a tambourine queen Cut his hair in 1981 Grew it back the minute that was done He's got a leather jacket with a broken zip A cigarette he doesn't smoke between his lips Some nights the music moves through him like heat Some nights he counts the exits, counts the beat He'll do the mirror trick tonight Make believe the crowd is a stadium light He'll hit the mark, he'll take the bow He's still the wildest thing in the room somehow Mirror trick — that's how he gets through Mirror trick — same as we do Nobody told him he could stop Nobody asked if he knew when He just kept going — kept the top hat Found a stage and did it all again Still the wildest thing in the room Still the wildest thing in the room Mirror trick