The picture tells the tale …
Empty Chair
Verse 1
He stood like the lights were too bright
Arms down and his face turned to stone
He didn’t blink once in the silence
Like a man who forgot his way home
Verse 2
His thumb made a circle on skin
Like he was winding a watch that had stopped
The folks in the crowd didn’t whisper
They just watched while the moment got lost
Verse 3
They led him away through the hall
No wave and no nod to the side
Someone coughed, someone reached for their coat
The rest just pretended it’s fine
Bridge
And I swear there were strings on his back
And a hand that we never could see
But no one asked who was pulling
Just smiled at the old oak tree
Verse 4 – Outro
Now the chair’s still warm where he sat
And the papers keep coming to sign
The face might be caught in the frame
But the mind went missing in time
— Gene Scott
— Gene Scott
