Come Alive Again

Lyrics

[HANNAH] Oh, I've sat at this table For so many years All alone at the end of the day I'd forgot what it was To have family and friends Who can help pass the hours away Tonight at this table I'm closed for the day And I'm far as can be from alone And be damned if this grill Ain't the best that it's been You're the dearest of friends that I've known And the light from these windows Ain't sparkled this bright Not since I can remember back when And my friends and my family are with me tonight And this old grill has come alive again! People sat at thеse tables For twenty odd yеars Just to pick at their food and complain Now they walk in here smiling And they clean off their plates And the reason ain't hard to explain The girls at the table Beside me tonight Give their hearts to whatever they do And the folks 'round the grill Have a new appetite For the goodness that's coming from you And the light from these windows Ain't sparkled this bright Not since I can remember back when And my friends and my family are with me tonight And this old grill has come alive— [SHELBY & PERCY] And the light from these windows Ain't sparkled this bright [HANNAH, SHELBY & PERCY] Not since I can remember back when And my friends and my family are with me tonight And this old grill has come alive again! [EFFY] I'd like the morning special please Does that include a prize? I brought along a hundred bucks And a page of pretty lies [HANNAH, spoken] If you're so worked up About this contest Be my guest Jump right in Got readin' enough For a month of Sundays And don't pretend you never look At everybody's mail Come back to me With the best of the batch And then maybe Just maybe I'll put up with your smart-ass remarks! [EFFY, spoken] "Dear Mrs. Ferguson" [EFFY] "I have lived in this building Fifteen years come this fall And I still don't know the names Of the people 'cross the hall" [JOE] "Dear Mrs. Ferguson If I dropped dead tomorrow Would my boss even know? Twenty years in this cubicle I'm ready to go" [CALEB, spoken] That raffle contest stuff is keeping you kinda busy, don't you think? [SHELBY, spoken] I can manage [CALEB, spoken] Well, with Hannah back on her feet She doesn't need both you and Percy anymore I'll let Hannah know you're quitting [SHELBY, spoken] Caleb, you're not my foreman This isn't the quarry [CALEB, spoken] What's that supposed to mean? [SHELBY, spoken] If you need a clean shirt you'll have to put in another load I'll be late for work [CALEB] What does it take for a man to feel some pride? Not lie awake, wishin' for a hole to hide... [EFFY & JOE] "Dear Mrs. Ferguson" ("Dear Mrs. Ferguson") "Dear Mrs. Ferguson" ("Dear Mrs. Ferguson") "Dear Mrs. Ferguson" ("Dear Mrs. Ferguson") "Dear Mrs. Ferguson" ("Dear Mrs. Ferguson") [JOE] "From the sound of your place Why would you ever want to leave? I guess you've got your reasons But it's hard to believe" [EFFY] "I know you can't turn the clock back I know that life isn't fair But there's got to be some hope left Somewhere" [HANNAH, SHELBY & PERCY] "Dear Mrs. Ferguson" [PERCY] "I want to see more than concrete and glass" [SHELBY] "I want my husband and me to have time for our lives" [HANNAH] "I want my children to learn how to smile" [HANNAH, SHELBY & PERCY] "I want part of me to come alive again" [JOE, EFFY, PERCY, HANNAH & SHELBY] All summer, more essays arrive every day Find their way to each corner of town People sit on their porch swings 'n' read them out loud 'Til long after the sun has gone down Old storefronts are painted, each flower box fills The sidewalks are patched and repaired There are cars along Main Street with out-of-state plates It's been so long since anyone cared And the light from these windows Ain't sparkled this bright Not since we can remember back when There's a spirit of hope along Main Street tonight [HANNAH, SHELBY & PERCY] And this old grill has come alive [EFFY & JOE] And this old town has come alive [JOE, EFFY, PERCY, HANNAH & SHELBY] And Gilead has come alive [EFFY & JOE] Alive [JOE, EFFY, PERCY, HANNAH & SHELBY] Again!