Manuel's Tavern

Lyrics

[Intro]
Step inside, let your eyes adjust to the dark

[Verse 1]
There’s a booth in the back with a scratch on the grain
Where a governor plotted his early campaign
Jimmy Carter drinking beer with the local news
In a room where a tie and a badge call a truce
It’s the great equalizer at 602 North Highland
A democratic harbor, an old-city island
Where the cops and professors are sharing the fries
Arguing policy under the lights

[Chorus]
So raise up a glass to Manuel's wall
To the pictures and frames that remember it all
Since 1956, under Maloof's command
The most democratic bar where a person can stand
Yeah, pull up a stool at the Tavern tonight
Where the wood is dark, but the regulars shine

[Verse 2]
Look at the memorabilia stacked to the roof
Every framed ticket is absolute truth
Of the writers who sat here and argued the text
Wondering what the city was gonna do next
It’s a neighborhood parliament smelling of malt
Where nobody’s perfect, and nobody’s caught
We’re just citizens gathering out of the chill
With a couple of hours we're trying to kill

[Chorus]
So raise up a glass to Manuel's wall
To the pictures and frames that remember it all
Since 1956, under Maloof's command
The most democratic bar where a person can stand
Yeah, pull up a stool at the Tavern tonight
Where the wood is dark, but the regulars shine

[Bridge]
Pour one out for the ghosts in the smoke
For the promises made and the ones that we broke
But the tables remain, heavy and scarred
Holding the weight of the city so large

[Chorus]
So raise up a glass to Manuel's wall
To the pictures and frames that remember it all
Since 1956, under Maloof's command
The most democratic bar where a person can stand
Yeah, pull up a stool at the Tavern tonight
Where the wood is dark, but the regulars shine

[Outro]
Here's to the Tavern, 602
Pass the pitcher down, make room for someone new
Yeah, just slide over a bit
Let the kid grab a seat, I guess