The Endless Aisle Tango

Verse

I fold my coat at the checkout, oil on the cuffs
A ledger lamp ticks like a small, stubborn heart
Shelves stand like cathedral ribs with nothing to buffet
Only price tags swaying where apples used to start
Outside, an air-ship coughs coal into the moon
Inside the clockwork carts dream of pushed-away carts
I count twelve aisles by the clink of a tin can's tune
And practise my turns with a broom for a partner

Chorus

Dance me round the empty labels, lead me through the fare
We step on brass gears, tango under an oil-lamp flare
If the music's a leaking boiler I'll waltz with the steam
In the supermarket of ghosts we keep the same routine

Verse

I pace the frozen aisle of nothing but tags
Price for jasmine, price for meat, price for a past
My boots polish the floorboards, leave clockwork tracks
A cog-driven radio plays an echo of last

Chorus

Dance me round the empty labels, lead me through the fare
We step on brass gears, tango under an oil-lamp flare
If the music's a leaking boiler I'll waltz with the steam
In the supermarket of ghosts we keep the same routine

Bridge

spoken word

The night sells me minutes for a penny. I'm hep to the bargain.
I bow to a ledger and kiss a faded coupon goodbye

Chorus

Dance me round the empty labels, lead me through the fare
We step on brass gears, tango under an oil-lamp flare
If the music's a leaking boiler I'll waltz with the steam
In the supermarket of ghosts we keep the same routine