It was 5:45 on a Friday, a Friday
I was waiting for a train going my way, my way
I stood packed on a platform in Brooklyn,
Where everybody’s pushin but nobody’s looking
So I got crushed in the rush for the subway,
By the little old men tryin to shove me
Well I noticed her when I glanced sideways,
And felt continents shifting inside me
I was dressed in my best polyester,
And I could tell that the plastic impressed her
Cause she smiled as she eased up beside me,
And then she said she had things to confide see
She said her dad ran away with Samantha,
The middle-aged exotic dancer
So her mom had returned to her savior,
And here’s the advice that he gave her

He said, Reese’s Pieces, Swedish Fish,
Oodles of Skittles and red licorice,
Marshmallow mints and a chocolate kiss,
And it melts in your mouth like this
Take out your contacts and look at the screen,
Take off your makeup and look at the sea,
If you break your restrictions then you’ll understand,
Take your prescription of sugar and candy, oh yeah

We arrived there by way of the highway,
After night drives with tradewinds and tirades,
To a town bound by old guards and dry ducts
Bored I dragged my ass off the bus and hit the sidewalks,
I stumbled on a lane name of my way,
And got caught in the street by treading lightly,
The fish passed me by lead by fishhooks,
I hit pop flies and caught their strange looks,
But one figure struggled just to stand there,
He was a one legged man in his wheelchair,
I struck out a course for his landing,
I put out a hand and then he grabbed it,
He told a lifetime of boxcars and byways,
Of the times of stockyards and chain gangs and two legs,
He offered his advice for a penny,
And for that small price here’s what he gave me

Take out your contacts and look at the screen,
Take off your makeup and look at the sea,
If you break your restrictions then you’ll understand,
Take your prescription of sugar and candy, oh yeah