Streetlight at the Alley

[male vocal] The streetlight stays up till the break of day My shadow drags, dust‑laden all the way The dreams in my pocket are wrinkled and worn I force a smile — "I can hold on till dawn" Subway winds crush the hours like sand The crowd pushes on, I dare not turn back What they call "stability" — just empty lines on a page We’re all drifting in this human cage This city is an invisible cage The door stands ajar, yet I can't turn the page Ideals are hollowed out by years Leaving only hidden pains that appear In the dead of night — a few soft tears These days are a tender cage Binding my regrets, binding my dreams A thousand words stuck in my throat In the end they scatter as a wisp of breeze My old guitar strings have long since rusted They can't sing the fiery wine I once trusted Old friends have gone their separate ways Who still recalls the first meeting days? On the phone I say, "Life is fine" Hang up — nothing left but silence and time What I called "freedom" is locked in reality's hold We turn in place, growing old This city is an invisible cage The door stands ajar, yet I can't turn the page Ideals are hollowed out by years Leaving only hidden pains that appear In the dead of night — a few soft tears These days are a tender cage Binding my regrets, binding my dreams A thousand words stuck in my throat In the end they scatter as a wisp of breeze Maybe one day I'll break this cage Face the long wind — no more rage But until then I'll hold my hands tight And wait in the ordinary light