Champagne for the Loser

Auction stickers in the window
Paper cups on folding chairs
Champagne for the loser

Bought the cheapest bottle in the store
With ashtray coins from my old truck
Walked back through the restaurant door
Red auction tags winked bad luck
My name read backward through the glass
My brother leaned against the freezer
I cracked the wire, let the cork fly
Said, Nobody whisper like a mourner

They came prepared to lower their eyes
I raised a paper cup instead

Champagne for the loser; paper cup, hard rain
Champagne for the loser
Toast before the comeback; say my name
Say my name
They can lock the door, not take the trade
I lost the room, kept what I made

Toast before the comeback
Raise the paper cup

Under the register by the door
I found our first dollar, folded small
Mama's ink said, Work hard
Stay kind
I nearly lost my voice right there
Kid I hired the summer before
Spray-painted one star on the curb
Said, When you open somewhere else
Call me first—I'll work the nights

I don't need them calling me lucky
I need one witness when I stand

Champagne for the loser; paper cup, hard rain
Champagne for the loser
Toast before the comeback; say my name
Say my name
They can lock the door, not take the trade
I lost the room, kept what I made

Let the bank count broken numbers
Let them keep the polished key
Mama's dollar in my pocket
Is the only proof I need
A loser is somebody standing
After rooms have lost their names
Tomorrow starts with what we made
With practiced hands that know the trade

Champagne for the loser; paper cup, hard rain
Champagne for the loser
Toast before the comeback; we know your name
We know your name
They locked the door, but not the trade
I lost the room, kept what I made

First dollar in my pocket
Rain under my shoes
Toast before the comeback
Nothing left to prove tonight