Catching Cabs for Strangers

So what I do is

I catch the cab

And then I sort of step aside

And I—

Okay, so I do this

When it’s busy

You know?

Like, when it’s really busy

And you can’t catch a cab

Cause like—

That’s becoming extinct

That whole—

With Uber and Lyft

And all that

Cabs are—

But, you know

Some of the people

The older people?

They still want a taxi, you know?

And young people too

Sometimes

Sometimes people

Just want to go for a nice ride

You know?

So I catch a cab

And then I kind of stand aside like—

Hey, anybody want this one?

And people always act surprised

They’re always standing there like—

Huh?
What?

And I’m just smiling

Because I know they’re not expecting it

And honestly?

Honestly, that’s the best part

The surprise

See my dad used to do this

He loved

Catching cabs for strangers

And giving them to ‘em

He loved that

He was always doing nice stuff

He was a great guy, my dad

Really great guy

He would drive cabs all day

Then we’d go out on the street at night

And he’d catch a cab for somebody

For anybody

Just hail one

And give it away

It was really something

Nobody caught a cab

Like my old man

Then one day

He’s just gone

Just like that

He didn’t leave me

It’s not like that

He would have—

He would have never left me

But—

But he was gone

And I was just—

I was just standing on a corner

You know?

Trying to keep smiling

Trying to live in this new reality

Where there’s no dad anymore

You know?

Got my thumb out

Catching cabs

Holding open doors

Pointing at strangers

Being like—

You take this one

You take this one

Go ahead

Go ahead

Take this one

Go ahead

I don’t mind

I don’t mind

It’s for you

I don’t mind

You put enough

Nice stuff

Out there in the world

And maybe one day

A cab stops for you

And your dad’s in the driver’s seat

Asking where you been

And why you been gone so long
And what do you mean he's the one
Who's been gone?

You climb in

And he takes you

To the Empire State Building

Or something place

And you spend the whole day together

Because you’re a kid again

Because time went backwards

And it took you along for the ride

That’s why you gotta keep
Giving away the cabs

Because they don’t belong to you

They’re not yours

Not until the one that is

Not until the one

That’s going to take you

Where you want to go