Mama’s Royal Cafe

I came here to write something else
But then I got distracted
Sensory overload
Now my thoughts are all impacted
You’re all dressed in black
From your shoulders to your feet
But you put your hand upon my arm
Such a friendly way to greet

Your blonde hair’s in a bun
There are glasses on your face
They don’t seem to match your studded belt
But you wear all of it with grace
You’re moving back and forth
But for a second you stand still
And I just feel the fluster
Then I feel the chill

The tattoos sparkle on your arms and on your neck
I think I can hear them call
And I just want to see them all

Are you always like this
With your eyes all a-glow
Somehow each stud upon your belt
Says this might be so
Was there a moment you decided
To become a work of art
Was it a way to lighten
A darkness in your heart

Chorus

I guess I won’t see you
Once I leave here today
I guess we’d never meet
Any other way
I don’t think you like folk music
You won’t be coming to my show
I’ll just leave a tip upon your counter
It’s probably time that I should go

Chorus

“Mama’s Royal Cafe” appears on the Soundclick album, Waiting for the Fall (2005).

I wrote the song after having breakfast at Mama’s Royal Cafe in Oakland, California.  It’s a love song for the waitress, who I didn’t and don’t know at all.  But I wanted to.