restaurant
Shane Koyczan Lyrics

I met a man who makes meals at a restaurant
I encountered an individual who prepares food at an establishment

Where there's no menu
Where food options are not listed for selection

But everything's on it
However, all dishes are available

Impossible, I know
Unbelievable, I acknowledge

But I met a man who makes meals
Nevertheless, I met an individual who prepares food

At a restaurant called 'Death Row'
At a place referred to as 'Death Row'

I met a man who makes the last meals
I encountered someone who prepares final meals

And I know way too many people who would attack him,
And I am aware of numerous individuals who would criticize him

Asking him
Inquiring from him

How it feels to be part of something like that
What emotions are experienced through involvement in such a situation

So, instead
Therefore, as an alternative

I just let him chew the fat
I simply allow him to talk and share

And I listen
And I attentively hear what he has to say

And he tells me about a 31 year old boy
He proceeds to inform me about a 31-year-old young man

A 31 year old boy because he was convicted at the age of 22
Referred to as a young boy due to his conviction at 22 years old

Been waiting 9 years on Death Row
He has endured a 9-year wait on Death Row

And last week was his turn
Finally, last week was his opportunity

So he asked for
Hence, he requested

Sourdough french toast
French toast made using sourdough bread

And a side of magic beans
Along with a serving of enchanted beans

Because he'd rather face down a giant
Because he prefers confronting a giant

Rather take his chances with a beanstalk
Than risk his fate with a towering beanstalk

Than walk down that hall
Than traverse through that corridor

Where every footfall echoes into that same oblivion
Where each step reverberates into an empty void

Where every experience he never had congregates
Where all the missed experiences gather together

To create a world he never lived in
Forming a reality he never got to experience

So ya
Therefore, yes

Find yourself asking for things
You might find yourself requesting certain items

Like magic beans
Such as enchanted beans

And a cook finds himself understanding
And a chef comes to comprehend

What it means
The significance behind it

To be desperate
To experience the depths of desperation

And he tells me that
And he informs me that

Most of this food never gets touched
A majority of this food remains untouched

That doesn't stop him from being exact
However, that doesn't prevent him from being precise

Even though the fact is
Despite the reality being

He'll never make a meal as good as mom could
He will never prepare a meal as exceptional as a mother could

It'll never taste as good as it would
It will never have the same remarkable flavor

Coming from the one who raised you and
When it originates from the person who raised you and

He knows this
He is aware of this

But he's meticulous
Yet, he is very careful and precise

Even though he knows that this 31 year old boy
Despite his knowledge that this young boy, aged 31,

Grabbed his arresting officer's service revolver
Seized the service revolver of the officer who apprehended him

Tried to use it like a problem-solver
Attempted to employ it as a solution to his problems

He knows this
He is aware of this

But he makes french toast with sour dough
However, he prepares sourdough french toast nonetheless

As though he was cooking for a king
As if he were preparing a meal fit for a monarch

Because the last thing you should
Since the final thing you should

Do is eat well
Is to consume a satisfying meal

Especially if there's a family prayin'
Particularly when there is a family fervently hoping

That you have to go slow
That your execution is drawn out

When you take that walk through hell
When you traverse through that dreadful passage

So everything's fresh
Therefore, everything is freshly prepared

And the egg's are free-range
And the eggs are sourced from free-range chickens

And there's a last minute change of pans
And there is an unexpected switch of cooking utensils

Because the last hands to wash that pan
Since the previous individual to clean that pan

Missed a spot
Failed to remove a certain residue

And this cook's got a vision
And this chef possesses a particular vision

Of french toast that falls apart
Concerning french toast that delicately disintegrates

So softly
With such gentleness

It feels like lovers lying in bed
Eliciting the sensation of lovers reclining in bed

Breaking apart to sleep so deeply
Separating to slumber profoundly

The shallow of their dreams
The superficiality of their dreams

Is enough for hate to drown in
Is sufficient for hatred to be engulfed by

Because if you're gonna come up short
Since if you are bound to fall short

On a request like magic beans
Regarding a plea for enchanted beans

You better be sure
You must definitely ensure

The first part of that meal
The initial component of that dish

Means something
Carries significant meaning

He tells me it's a job
He informs me it is an occupation

And as cliche as it sounds
And though it may sound cliched

Someone's gotta do it
Someone has to undertake it

Tells me back in the day
Relays to me that in the past

They used to let mothers try
Mothers were once given the opportunity

But most of them
But the majority of them

Couldn't get through it
Could not endure it

So a job was born out of necessity
Thus, a profession arose due to need

And those struck by poverty
And those who were burdened by poverty

Didn't have false visions
Did not possess misguided aspirations

Of turning this work into their legacy
Of transforming this labor into their heritage

They didn't dream of a dynasty
They did not fantasize about a long-lasting dynasty

Where the mountains
Where the peaks

Were made of chocolate
Were composed of chocolate

Or sugar stood in for sand
Or sugar substituted for sand

But they knew America
But they were aware that America

Would put a check in their hand
Would provide them with a monetary payment

So men and women were born into workers
Therefore, men and women entered the workforce from birth

Because ideas like
Because notions such as

Right and wrong
Morality and ethics

Get outweighed by need
Become overshadowed by necessity

Anytime you've got mouths to feed
Whenever you have individuals to provide sustenance for

He tells me that America failed
He confides in me that America fell short

That they nailed freedom to a cross
That they symbolically crucified freedom

Because every boss in every office
Due to every employer in every workplace

Is in his own separate world
Exists within his or her isolated realm

Having to be held up by the backs of
Requiring support from the labor of

Employees expected to say "Please"
Workers who are anticipated to politely comply

Everytime they have to take a piss
Every instance they need to urinate

I know way too many people
I am acquainted with far too many individuals

Who would tell me
Who would express to me

That they can't go on like this
That they are unable to continue living in this manner

And we say this
And we make this statement

But we still set our alarms
Yet, we continue to set our alarms

To be up in time for our 9 to 5
Waking early enough to fulfill our 9-to-5 obligations

We're just reporters
We are merely correspondents

Coming to you live
Broadcasting to you in real-time

From bus stops and coffee shops
From bus stops and coffee establishments

We wear our lives
We embody our lives

Like costumes
Similar to costumes

Use bills and coins like props
Viewing currency as props

In an over budget production
Within an excessively costly production

That we cannot seem to stop
That we are unable to halt

So it just goes on like this
Thus, it continues to progress in this manner

As if we accept this
As if we embrace and approve of this

As if we've all become
As though we have all transformed into

Buddhas of mass production
Figuratively representing Buddhas of large-scale manufacturing

Our brains rotting
Our minds decaying

Like teeth
Comparable to teeth

Under the sweet
Beneath the pleasant

Unending bliss of false enlightenment
Unceasing bliss of deceptive enlightenment

And he tells me
And he informs me

We used to be flint
We used to be like flint

And we'd spark
Ignite a spark

Whenever struck by new ideas
Whenever struck by novel concepts

But now all there is is jobs
But presently, all that remains are occupations

And someone's gotta do them
And someone must perform those tasks

And isn't he lucky
And isn't he fortunate

That he lives in a country where
That he resides in a nation where

Everyone
Every individual

Wants to be someone
Desires to attain significance

And isn't he lucky
And isn't he fortunate

That when the day's done
That when the day concludes

He can go home
He can return to his residence

And forget
And disregard

Like he played this hand
As if he engaged in this game

Knowing it was a bad bet
Aware that it was an unfavorable gamble

Because what you risk
Because the potential consequences of your actions

Reveals what you value
Expose your underlying values

And this man
And this individual

Ventured everything he knew
Risked everything he possessed

To the point where
To the extent that

His wife can no longer convince him
His spouse can no longer persuade him

That her eyes are the color blue
That her eyes possess a blue hue

And what kind of life
And what sort of existence

Have you go left
Has one remaining

If you want no one to know
If you desire nobody to be aware

What you do
Of your actions

See, he lets everyone think that
Observe, he allows everyone to assume that

He's just a cook
He is merely a chef

Because he doesn't want his kids
Since he doesn't want his children

To know what daddy does
To be aware of their father's occupation

And is unable to tell his mother
And cannot inform his mother

Where he was
About his whereabouts

When they executed
During the time of the execution

A 31 year old boy
Of a young boy, aged 31

For killing the first son
For murdering the initial child

Of the same mother
Belonging to the identical mother

He made the meal
Whom he prepared the meal for

For the man who took his brother
For the individual who took his sibling

Because he didn't trust
Since he lacked confidence in

Anyone who was willing
Any person who was disposed

To fill in for him that day
To substitute for him on that particular day

Because they'd say things like
Since they would utter phrases such as

'Don't worry'
'Do not fret'

With just enough of a smile
Accompanied by a slight smile

If he ever stood trial
In case he were to face trial

Trying to defend that meal
Attempting to justify that dish

All he'd ever feel
The only sentiment he would experience

Is guilty
Is the sensation of guilt

So he made french toast with sour dough
Therefore, he proceeded to prepare sourdough french toast

As though he was making
As if he were constructing

A monument to his virtues
A symbolic representation of his moral qualities

That would never be brought down
That would never be toppled

By the half-truths
By the partial truths

Of America
Of the United States

In truth?
Honestly?

It never got touched.
It was never consumed.

And he tells me
And he informs me

When the skeletons
When the hidden truths

In his closet
In his concealed secrets

Finally bust down the door
Ultimately break down the door

All he's gonna need
All he will require

Is his fist
Is his closed hand

And someone's jaw
And the jaw of another individual

Says regret is like
Expresses that regret is comparable to

Living your life
Experiencing your existence

As a blind man
Similar to a visually impaired person

Having to imagine
Being compelled to envision

Everything you lived
Everything you have experienced

But never saw
But never laid eyes upon

He can't imagine it
He is unable to conceive it

Any different than
Any other way than

His mother at the execution
His mother during the execution

Sitting in the front row
Seated in the foremost row

Clear tears mixing with
Transparent tears blending together with

Blush and eye shadow
Pinkish hue and cosmetic eye shadow

Sitting there
Occupying that space

Looking as though
Appearing as if

She'd been punched in the face
She had received a blow to the face

By a rainbow
By a spectrum of colors

But he says
But he states

'I know I did the right thing'
'I know I made the correct decision'

And I'm not here
And I am not present

To sing his praise
To extol his virtues

Or raise a big deal
Or create a significant commotion

made of granite and lime
composed of robust materials

But America will never fall
However, America will never crumble

To its feet and say
To its metaphorical feet and proclaim

'I'm sorry'
'I apologize'

And all this is
And all of this represents

Is the story of a man
Is the narrative of an individual

Who makes meals
Who prepares food

And how one day
And how on a certain day

He made a testament
He created a symbol

To his ethics:
To his moral principles

Golden brown
With a warm golden hue

And stacked
Arranged in layers

A perfect 5 inches high
Excellently measured, reaching 5 inches in height

Tells me he feels bad
Conveys that he experiences regret

For the boys on death row
For the individuals awaiting execution

He knows America failed them
He acknowledges that America let them down

He says most of them
He claims the majority of them

Still ask for apple pie
Continue to request apple pie