The Encyclopedia Salesman

At the back of my brain is a man
I remember him clearly though no one else can
In his suitcase
He showed me the world
And I had a vision so grand
All that there is at the palm of my hand
I’ll write off all the battles and wars
Erasing human scars
All day he’s knocking doors all over cities
Under heat from 9 to 5
The load is heavy, he’s got a family
Hoping only to survive
1 out of 20 and his light is glowing dim
He promised me tomorrow
But I can’t do the same for him
The man took a seat at our table
He laid out the pages until I was able to find myself
In between the words
And he made a deal with my father
Letter to letter my mind wanders farther
They shake their hands
And off he goes again
All day he’s knocking doors all over cities
Under heat from 9 to 5
The load is heavy, he’s got a family
Hoping only to survive
1 out of 20 and his light is going dim
He promised me tomorrow
But I can’t do the same for him
Oh, I heard screaming next door
Nobody needs this anymore
Somebody’s slamming the door
Nobody reads this anymore
Whatever happened to him
All day he’s knocking doors all over cities
Under heat from 9 to 5
The load is heavy, he’s got a family
Hoping only to survive
1 out of 20 and his light is going dim
He promised me tomorrow
But I can’t do the same for him