The Nod (Bromance)

Lyrics

[Intro]
We don't talk about it.
We never have.

[Verse 1]
Remember the carburetor on that '89 Toyota?
You with the wrench, me with the flashlight.
Three hours of grease and silence.
The smell of gasoline and cold coffee.
Or that final level on the old console,
the controller worn smooth between our hands.
We didn't cheer.
We didn't have to.

[Chorus]
It was just the nod.
A downward tilt of the head, a glance held for half a second too long.
It's the period at the end of a sentence we never spoke.
It means "I see you."
It means "We're good."
It means "The work is done."
That's all it ever has to mean.

[Verse 2]
The night my father died, you didn't call.
You just appeared on my porch at 2 AM.
You brought two beers from the gas station,
and we sat on the steps until the sun came up.
Didn't say a word about it.
You just listened to the cicadas.
When you left, you put a hand on my shoulder.
And I got...

[Chorus]
I got the nod.
A downward tilt of the head, a glance held for half a second too long.
The period at the end of a sentence we never spoke.
It meant "I'm with you."
It meant "We're good."
It meant "You'll get through this."
That's all it ever has to mean.

[Bridge]
I read about Tolkien and Lewis, in The Eagle and Child.
Smell of pipe smoke and damp wool.
Arguing about elves and lions over warm ale.
I bet they had it too.
That unspoken thing that, like art, has no survival value...
but it's the thing that gives value to survival.

[Chorus]
It's just the nod.
A downward tilt of the head, a glance held for half a second too long.
The period at the end of a sentence we'll never speak.
It means "I'm with you."
It means "We're good."
It means "We'll get through this."
That's all it ever has to mean.

[Outro]
So here's to the shared garage.
Here's to the silent passenger seat.
Here's to the full sentence,
delivered without a sound.
Just the nod.