Lady Kroger: The Wistful Waltz of Toco Hills

Lyrics

[Intro]
Two o'clock on a Tuesday.
The Toco Hill Shopping Center sleeps in the sun.
And in here... you can hear your own heart beat.

[Verse 1]
The automatic doors don't whoosh, they sigh.
The linoleum shines like a ballroom floor, waxed for tonight.
Aisle four is empty.
Aisle seven, a universe of quiet contemplation.
No one's bumping carts, no one's in a hurry for the checkout line.
It's a secret the rest of Atlanta doesn't know.
Or maybe, a secret they've forgotten how to keep.

[Chorus]
And oh, the slow and gentle rhythm.
This is the Lady Kroger Waltz.
One, two, three... a turn past the dairy.
One, two, three... a pause by the bread.
The hum of the freezer is the bass line to the song you dance alone.

[Verse 2]
A woman with silver hair and a string of pearls
inspects a single, perfect Bartlett pear.
She holds it to the light.
Time is a river here, moving slow and deep.
Her cart holds buttermilk, a small tin of tea,
a jar of orange marmalade.
She pushes it with one hand, a graceful, steady glide.

[Chorus]
And oh, the slow and gentle rhythm.
This is the Lady Kroger Waltz.
One, two, three... a turn past the dairy.
One, two, three... a pause by the bread.
The beep of the scanner is the downbeat to the song you dance alone.

[Bridge]
Out on Ponce, the ghost still has a name.
On Pharr Road, the beat is still thumping.
But in this quiet corner of Toco Hills,
the afternoon holds its breath.
It's a waiting room between errands, between years.
A haven where the clock's hands have grown tired.

[Chorus]
And oh, the slow and gentle rhythm.
This is the Lady Kroger Waltz.
One, two, three... a turn past the dairy.
One, two, three... a pause by the bread.
The hum of the freezer is the bass line to the song we dance alone.

[Outro]
A single cart wheel squeaks a soft complaint.
One, two, three...
One, two, three...