Room at the Table

[Verse 1]
You carried in a chair from the porch
Said your sister might come by
We cleared a corner by the window
Made room for one more plate tonight
Then your old friend brought his stories
And a coat still damp with rain
I learned the creak beneath each new leg
I learned another name

[Pre-Chorus]
The table lengthens inch by inch
The candle travels down
I pass the bread, I miss your eyes
While someone calls me from the end

[Chorus]
Pull up a chair, there’s room at the table
Bring your whole heart, bring what you’ve been through
The table keeps growing, the candles keep turning
I want to be here with all of you
Pull up a chair, I’ll make room beside me
Though I can’t answer every voice at once
The table keeps growing, I’m learning to listen
One face, one name, one moment of love

[Verse 2]
There’s a chipped blue bowl from Mara
A spare key tucked beneath it
Your neighbor brings tomatoes
And a letter he can’t finish
Some nights I count the empty spaces
Some nights I count the hands
Trying not to turn affection
Into a list I understand

[Pre-Chorus]
The table lengthens inch by inch
The candle travels down
I pass the bread, I miss your eyes
While someone calls me from the end

[Chorus]
Pull up a chair, there’s room at the table
Bring your whole heart, bring what you’ve been through
The table keeps growing, the candles keep turning
I want to be here with all of you
Pull up a chair, I’ll make room beside me
Though I can’t answer every voice at once
The table keeps growing, I’m learning to listen
One face, one name, one moment of love

[Bridge]
Maybe care is not a banquet
Where I serve each soul alone
Maybe it’s the quiet turning
When I set my plate back down
Let the stories cross between us
Let the hands pass something through
I can’t hold the whole long table
But I can sit here next to you

[Final Chorus]
Pull up a chair, there’s room at the table
Bring your whole heart, bring what you’ve been through
The table keeps growing, the candles keep turning
I want to be here with all of you
Pull up a chair, I’ll make room beside me
Though I can’t answer every voice at once
The table keeps growing, we’re learning to listen
One face, one name, one moment of love

[Outro]
One face, one name
Stay awhile
There’s room beside me