Amarillo Motel 6: II.


 Bathwater Blues II (Holy Water Heartbeat)

(Verse 1)
I still check in under fake names
Still light cigarettes off motel saints
Still leave the TV talking low
Like somebody might come home

Amarillo’s all lavender twilight
Truck stop angels and porch-light eyes
And I wear your memory loose now
Like your flannel falling off my side

There’s rosary beads around the lamp shade
Lip print kisses on a Styrofoam cup
You’re somewhere west of Tucumcari
Probably smoking with your boots kicked up

(Chorus)
Still the best damn bath in the Amarillo Motel 6
Steam rising slow like a prayer on my lips
Radio static and the ice machine crying
While I replay your hands on my thighs in silence

Baby, love used to feel like a roadside crucifix
All blood red heartbreak and beautiful tricks
But now the water glows soft in the neon mist
And I don’t feel lonely in it

(Verse 2)
There’s a motel Bible by the shampoo packets
Your name folded inside like a secret habit
Page marked somewhere near forgiveness
Though we were better at desire than innocence

You called me “darling” in a low slow drawl
Like it physically hurt not to say more
And I still think about your belt buckle shining
In the blue TV light by the bathroom door

Outside, the highway’s rolling westward
Like God’s long black Cadillac
But I ain’t chasing ghosts these days
And for me, that’s a miracle act

(Bridge)
There’s grace in cheap linen
Salvation in steam
Heaven gets closer
In soft motel scenes

And your voice still lingers
Like bourbon and smoke
A little dangerous
A little devotional

(Final Chorus)
Still the best damn bath in the Amarillo Motel 6
cologne, chlorine, and a touch I still miss
The ceiling fan turns like a slow gospel hymn
And I smile to myself every time I step in

Yeah, I’m still alone tonight
But loneliness finally loosened its grip
Ever since you kissed me
Like I was something sacred
In the Amarillo Motel 6

(Outro)
So if you pass through that neon town
Where sinners wash their halos down
And you hear soft laughter through the mist—
That’s just me
Remembering him
At the Amarillo Motel 6.

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