[Verse 1] Rain has left the pavement shining, Black beneath the amber light. Someone's paper crossed the gutter, Then disappeared into the night. At the shelter, no one waiting. At the crossing, no one there. I look down upon my wristwatch. Four forty-three. [Verse 2] Clouds are moving past the rooftops. Signals change from red to green. Somewhere far away an engine Passes where it can't be seen. On the bank, the clock is waiting. In the station, just the same. Every face has stopped together. Four forty-three. [Instrumental Passage] [Quiet Hammond and bass] [Subtle 4-4-3 rhythmic figure] [Fragments of distant tenor sax] [Verse 3] Now the first bird starts to call. Another answers from the square. Morning papers line the doorway. Still there isn't anyone there. Something pale behind the chimneys — Not quite daylight, not quite night. I can hear the city waking, But the darkness will not die. Four. Forty. Three. [Instrumental Build] [Rhythm begins to fracture] [Hammond grows restless] [Saxophone becomes increasingly dissonant] [Extended irregular-meter improvisation] [Final Verse] The birds have started singing. The clouds are turning white. The streets are full of morning. Why is it still night? I raise my hand before my eyes. I wait to see it move. Four forty-three. Four forty-three. Four— [Long Instrumental Passage] [Near-silence at the end]
