[Instrumental Introduction]
[Verse 1]
Silent winds blowing on a cold still night
Screeching tires in the distance as a robber takes flight
Songbirds clamor in a panicked flutter
Gunshots ring out, signaling the loss of a sister or brother.
[Verse 2]
I sit alone on my porch interpreting the night
Doomed to live this way because I have no sight
A diving accident at the age of nine
Destroyed the only life I knew at the time
[Chorus]
In the dark, I see it all so clear
Every sound paints a picture here
Blind surveillance, watching through the night
With my ears as eyes, I guard the light
In the silence, the world comes alive
Through the shadows, I survive
[Verse 3]
The rumble of tires head down my street
Brad’s returning home from work, I recognize his Honda’s squeak
It must be 2:30 am or something close
His factory shift ends at two — time for coffee and toast.
[Instrumental Interlude]
[Verse 4]
Petroleum fumes linger in the damp winter air
The refinery in Deer Park sends liquids to the flare
A domestic fight rages six doors down
Their children crying faintly in the background.
[Chorus]
In the dark, I see it all so clear
Every sound paints a picture here
Blind surveillance, watching through the night
With my ears as eyes, I guard the light
In the silence, the world comes alive
Through the shadows, I survive
[Verse 5]
I pull my cellphone from the flannel pocket on my chest
A 911 call is my only means of settling this civil unrest
They know me by first name down at the central station
Dispatch sends out two cars for their investigation
Within minutes their sirens will pierce the night air
As they near, the songbirds panic and fly everywhere
[Verse 6]
Time to pack in and sleep half the day
My nighttime surveillance disrupted while the police stay.
I take the last sip from my coffee cup,
Finish my buttered toast, I’ve had enough.
[Chorus]
In the dark, I see it all so clear
Every sound paints a picture here
Blind surveillance, watching through the night
With my ears as eyes, I guard the light
In the silence, the world comes alive
Through the shadows, I survive
[Instrumental Interlude]
[Outro]
Sirens fade into the breaking dawn
The neighborhood quiets, the danger gone
I close my useless eyes and drift away
Till darkness falls, and I’m needed for another day.
Blind surveillance, but am I truly blind
Because in the night, I rise and shine.
Copyright December 14, 2025, by Stephen Craig Whitley – All Rights Reserved
