[Intro: fingerpicked guitar, distant harmonica] [Verse 1] I bought the timer at the hardware store the week you said next month Plastic dial and a little click that turns the bulb on at dusk Mama used to leave the porch light burning till the moths gave out Now I set it on at ten and off at one and try not to count You called from Tulsa with a story about overtime and rain Said the roads were bad for driving and you would not come that way I said, fine, the guest room sheets are clean, they always are And I twisted that cheap dial until the click became a scar [Chorus] Porch light timer, porch light timer Clicking in the hall Porch light timer, porch light timer Doesn't need your call I do not leave it burning all night like Mama used to do I give you three good hours, brother, that is all I owe to you Porch light timer, porch light timer On at ten, off at one Porch light timer, porch light timer Waiting on someone [Verse 2] Christmas you sent money in an envelope with no note I bought the good coffee that you like and let the rest alone Spring you said the truck was dying, summer said the clutch Fall you said you met a woman, winter said as much I am not angry in the daytime, I am busy with the yard But at dusk the little mechanism starts its small hard work And I stand there with a dish towel listening for a truck That is three states over and three years short of showing up [Chorus] Porch light timer, porch light timer Clicking in the hall Porch light timer, porch light timer Doesn't need your call I do not leave it burning all night like Mama used to do I give you three good hours, brother, that is all I owe to you Porch light timer, porch light timer On at ten, off at one Porch light timer, porch light timer Waiting on someone [Bridge: guitar and voice, harmonica low] Last week I almost threw it in the trash behind the shed Held it in my hand a minute, put it back instead Not because I think you are coming, I am not a fool Because some habits are a kindness that you keep against the rule [Verse 3] If you ever pull into this driveway past the mailbox and the pine You will see a yellow square of light that is not forever mine It will go dark at one o'clock whether you are here or not That is the deal I made with hope, and that is all I got Come inside or keep on driving, I will not watch the road I have learned to trust the clicking, it is lighter than the load Of a brother who is always almost home and never showed Porch light timer does the waiting so I do not wait alone [Final Chorus: soft harmony enters] Porch light timer, porch light timer Clicking in the hall Porch light timer, porch light timer Doesn't need your call I do not leave it burning all night like Mama used to do I give you three good hours, brother, that is all I owe to you Porch light timer, porch light timer On at ten, off at one Porch light timer, porch light timer Waiting on someone [Outro: guitar alone, one harmonica phrase] Click.
