The Night Keeper
(Song by: Allie Kerr – Performance Notes below)
LYRICS
When the sun drops her shoulders below the Olympics
And the port of Seattle’s inclined to her rest
Then the pines whisper ‘hush’ and the traffic crawls slowly
And even the rowdiest crows seek their nests
That’s when the night keeper starts her employment
Weaving salt’s warp to a freshwater weft
Tuning the bridges of Montlake together
For no one knows her work as the one loves it best
And the bridges go up and the bridges go down
It’s a garland of water for our harbor town
To each bridge a fresh keeper by the light of the day
But each night sees her wandering lights trace the way
That’s the night keeper’s car on the road by the water
Racing her boats from the shore
Where the water cuts clean
And the air horn howls lonely
And there’s no one to talk to, and no one to see
Just the bridges that bow to the moon as she wanders
Just the bridges, the water and me
The bridges go up and the bridges go down
It’s heartbeat to the song of this old timber town
When the sun and the daylight have both had their say
Each night watch as her patient headlights lead the way
Where the salt of the sea greets the fresh water’s tumble
Joined by the birds from the shore
Where the water cuts fast
And the air horn howls lonely
And there’s no one to talk to, and no one to see
Just the bridges that bow to the moon as she wanders
Just the bridges, the water and me
Hiram’s Locks on to Salmon Bay, Ballard to Fremont
Lake Union to Portage, to Montlake and then
Union Bay spills out into Lake Washington’s waters
And the boats slip home free, and we drive back again
Where the water cuts deep
And the air horn howls lonely
And there’s no one to talk to, and no one to see
Just the bridges that bow to the moon as she wanders
Just the bridges, the water and me
And for some it might seem like exile on the night shift
But it’s heaven on earth for a weaver like me
The loneliest work found in all of creation
Bridging fresh water to the salt of the sea
Where the water cuts through
And the air horn howls lonely
And there’s no one to talk to, and no one to see
Just the bridges that bow to the moon as she wanders
Just the bridges, the water and me
PERFORMANCE NOTES
- Words and music by Allie Kerr
- Arranged by Chris Roe and David Skelding
- Performed by:
- Allie Kerr (vocals)
- James Booth (vocals)
- Chris Roe (harp)
- David Skelding (guitar)
- Recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center