Name on the Jersey

Name on the Jersey
Name on the Jersey

Old court behind the corner store
My last name printed on a kid's jersey
People wave before I see them
Half of them record before they greet me
Once I dreamed of being known
Now I miss when names were free
Everybody knows the public version
Almost nobody knows my morning coffee

Recognition is loud
Knowing somebody is quiet

Name on the Jersey, face on the wall
Name on the Jersey, still answer the call
Fame can print letters; purpose gives them weight
Name on the Jersey, what will the kid remember late?

Little kid waits by the baseline
No phone up, no autograph
Asks what to do when friends start laughing
At the thing he wants too bad
I forget the camera near the fence
Sit beside him on the paint
For five real minutes I'm useful
In a way applause has never made

That jersey with my surname looked lighter from far away
Till a kid wore it while asking what to do
A name means more when somebody trusts it
The court gave those letters something true

Name on the Jersey, pass him the ball
Name on the Jersey, sit when he falls
A name means more when somebody trusts it
Name on the Jersey, now I know what it's for

Name on the Jersey

Name on the Jersey