It began during one
of our weekly rituals. Late on a Friday night, after the cinema and a slow
stroll through the city, we would end up at our favourite café.
We’d both order a
slice of cheesecake and a latte. I’d
usually pull out my notebook and write down my thoughts on the day at work that
was and make some notes about what needs to be done on Monday, while she caught
up on emails on her tablet.
However, this night
was different. Her beautiful, tired head rested against my left shoulder and
instead of writing about work, I began to write about how much I loved that
very moment.
That thought
unfurled into memories of other evenings we’d shared in that same café. It was then I realised: writing these types
of notes could very well prove to be more a cosy café habit I might develop. I
was passionate about these types of notes. Friday nights here could very well
become my creative sanctuary.
Over the years,
whether with her or alone, inspiration found me in the hum of the espresso
machine or the silver trails of rain on the window. I’d jot down a phrase,
sketch a moment, or capture a poem in just a few lines — sometimes in the soft,
golden glow of morning, sometimes in the quiet hush of closing time.
At first, they were
private reflections, written for no one but the two of us, a way to hold onto
the atmospheres we inhabited, the warmth we felt, and the small, extraordinary
joys of café life with the one you love.
Then something
shifted. Reading back through those vignettes, I began to hear a particular
melody, my favourite song of the moment, and wondered if I could shape my words
to fit that rhythm.
I started to
visualise the clatter of forks on plates as drumbeats, the hiss of the steamer
as a soft harmony. The language of my memories wanted to be sung.
So I began reshaping
these poems into songs, each one was a miniature world born from a mix of real
and imagined moments.
The poems grew into
stories; the stories became songs about love, comfort, ritual, and the everyday
magic of cafés and companionship.
Crumbs
and Steam, The Table Knows Our Names,
and the others emerged from these lived, romanticised fragments.
I just wish I knew
how to write and play the music I hear in my head and had a voice fit for more
than my own shower audience.
What
These Songs Might Represent.
On one level, they
are tributes to coffee, cheesecake and to the familiar corners and faces of a
local café.
Beneath the surface,
they probably speak to 4 bigger truths:
1. The beauty of the everyday: Feeling
loved or cared about isn’t
always in grand gestures, but in the cup passed across the table, the familiar
ritual, the barista that’s always so busy remembering your ‘usual’ as well as
your name.
2. Ritual and belonging: Cafés are places where strangers become
friends and couples find “their” table. Every crumb and curl of steam carries
memory.
3. Endurance and change: These twelve songs tell of love weathering
storms, Friday nights marking time and relationships that last, like a
favourite table worn smooth via constant use over the years.
4. A celebration of comfort: These songs wrap the reader in a warmth that
I believe only a loved place can give. The escapism is gentle, rooted in the
soothing pleasures of food, routine and human connection.
Why I
Hope They Resonate.
Whether you’re a
regular at your local café or simply someone who understands the pull of
comfort and belonging, I hope you’ll find a little of yourself here.
After all, who
hasn’t been lifted by conversation and the amazing smile of the one your love
over coffee, or found solace in a familiar slice of something sweet?
·
Spirit‑lifting power: Songs grounded in tangible, warm imagery can be a balm: a reminder of
the joy in ritual, the hope in small moments, the resilience found in
community.
·
Space for reflection: They invite you to celebrate your own rituals and find beauty tucked
into daily life.
·
A reason to gather: Just as cafés draw people together, these songs encourage people to slow
down, share stories and remember that the simplest moments, in good company,
with something sweet to eat, a hot drink to sip and making your partner laugh,
are often the ones that matter that most in this sometimes crappy world.
In essence, these
songs are love letters to life, the small joys that make us smile and the big
feelings that lift us up.
Proof that
sometimes, the most profound stories begin with nothing more than a scribble in
a notepad, an old second‑hand pen that’s running out of ink and a table for two
with the person that owns your heart at your favourite café.
I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do.
1.
Crumbs and Steam (Upbeat Swing)
Verse 1:
Marble table, lemon
glow,
silver server cuts
it slow.
Coffee hisses,
sweetest scene,
life begins where
cafés lean.
Your eyes catch the
café light,
Friday ritual in
full flight.
Every bite a sweet
hello,
watch our little
love story grow.
Chorus:
Crumbs and steam,
love in between,
Friday nights we
live the dream.
Crumbs and steam,
nothing’s as it seems
when you’re sitting
next to me —
share a slice of
destiny,
crumbs and steam,
you and me.
Verse 2:
Barista knows our
names now,
pulls our shots
without a vow.
Corner table always
free —
this is where we’re
meant to be.
Laughter mixing with
the foam,
in this café we
found home.
Every Friday feels
brand new,
but the sweetest
thing is you.
Bridge:
Every slice another
vow,
golden crust still
holds us now.
Through the seasons,
through the years,
coffee warms away
the fears.
In this corner of
the world
love’s sweet story
is unfurled.
Chorus
repeat
Outro
Crumbs and steam —
living the dream.
2.
The Table Knows Our Names (Wistful Folk
Ballad).
Verse 1:
Corner table, window
rain,
ceramic cups bear
coffee stains.
Every week we sit
the same —
the table knows our
names.
Wooden surface worn
by time
holds our secrets,
yours and mine.
Through each season,
sun or rain,
the table knows our
names.
Chorus:
We don’t need a
church to pray,
our altar glows in
lemon flame.
Love’s been carved
through joy and pain —
the table knows our
names.
Every Friday’s our
refrain —
the table knows our
names.
Verse 2:
Years grew heavy,
candles dim,
sweetness kept the
edges trimmed.
Even when words fell
away,
the table knew our
names.
Fights that
flickered, love that grew,
silence shared when
no words would do.
Some things never
need to change —
the table knows our
names.
Bridge:
Initials carved in
ancient wood
still remember what
we understood.
This place will hold
us just the same,
long after life has
called our names.
Final
Chorus:
We don’t need a
church to pray,
our altar glows in
golden flame.
Love’s been sealed
through joy and pain —
the table knows our
names.
Forever in this
sweet refrain —
the table knows our
names.
3.
Slice of Moonlight (Bossa Nova).
Verse 1:
Cream arc on the
velvet night,
coffee planets dance
in light.
Forks like comets
pull us near,
each orbit finds us
here.
Gentle sway of café
jazz,
in your eyes I see
the stars.
Sweetness floating,
soft and bright,
like a slice of
moonlight.
Chorus:
A slice of
moonlight, soft and late,
gravity won’t make
us wait.
Each new phase finds
our tune,
forever dancing with
the moon.
In this cosmic café
scene,
living in a cream‑filled
dream.
Verse 2:
Steam ascending like
your sighs,
condensation on your
eyes.
Every bite a new
eclipse,
sweetness lingering
on your lips.
We’re satellites of
sweet desire,
orbiting love’s
gentle fire.
Everything just feels
so right,
sharing slices of
moonlight.
Bridge:
When the world spins
too fast,
we’ve got something
that will last —
our corner booth,
our sacred space,
where time moves at
love’s own pace.
Final
Chorus:
A slice of
moonlight, yours and mine,
perfect rhythm,
perfect rhyme.
Each new phase, each
sweet tune,
forever waltzing
with the moon.
4.
Fault Lines (Indie Ballad).
Verse 1:
Pressure lives in
the crust we break,
history in each
golden flake.
Arguments, tectonic
shifts —
love persists
through all the rifts.
Sweetness covers
what’s beneath,
trust rebuilt with
every beat
of our hearts that
learned to ache,
then learned to heal
for love’s sweet sake.
Chorus:
Fault lines happen,
but we never fall,
holding steady with
you through it all.
Cheesecake crumbles
but our love remains,
fault lines singing
through the joy and pain.
Beauty found in
broken things —
listen to the song
it brings.
Verse 2:
Every crack tells
our story,
scars become our
greatest glory.
What was bitter now
tastes sweet,
in this café we’re
complete.
Years of learning
how to bend,
how to break and how
to mend —
now we’re stronger
than before,
love worth fighting
for.
Bridge:
Pressure shapes the
pearl we keep,
fractures root our
love so deep.
In the breaking we
discover
how to be each
other’s lover.
Fault lines mapping
out our hearts —
this is where
forever starts.
Final
Chorus:
Fault lines running
through our two souls,
but together we are safe
and whole.
Cheesecake crumbles,
love remains,
fault lines singing
through the pain.
5.
The Barista’s Dawn (Upbeat Swing).
Verse 1:
I pull the shots, I
steam the milk,
window fog turns
morning silk.
Making coffee since
first light,
watching love
stories day and night.
I’ve seen you share
a slice, a song,
watching this for oh
so long —
your Friday ritual,
sweet refrain,
like sunshine
dancing through the rain.
Chorus:
The barista’s dawn
still calls your name,
through crema
stripes and coffee flame.
I watch your little
love unfold,
a story better than
gold.
In this café, love
takes flight —
every Friday feels
just right.
Verse 2:
First you came here
all alone,
checking messages on
your phone.
Then one day you
brought a friend —
didn’t know this was
the end
of your solitary
ways;
now I count your
café days
like a prayer I know
by heart —
you two never will
part.
Bridge:
Some stories steal
the show
from a thousand cups
of joe.
Yours is written in
the steam,
living out your
sweetest dream.
Final
Chorus:
The barista’s dawn
still knows your names,
love reflected in
coffee flames.
Through the seasons
you remain —
my favorite Friday
morning refrain.
6.
One More Bite (Closing Time Ballad).
Verse 1:
Closing hours, neon
fades,
but some love never
trades.
Empty tables, chairs
stacked high —
you’re still here,
and so am I.
Last slice resting
on the plate,
worth the wait to
make love wait.
In this moment, soft
and light,
let’s just take one
more bite.
Chorus:
One more bite before
the night,
hold it close and
taste the light.
Through every year,
through every fight,
just one more bite,
one more bite.
Time can wait, the
world can too —
all that matters
here is you.
Verse 2:
Staff is cleaning,
day is done,
but our story’s just
begun.
Every ending leads
to more —
that’s what Friday
nights are for.
Never want this time
to end,
you’re my lover and
my friend.
Everything still
feels so right,
let’s just take one
more bite.
Bridge:
When the lights come
on too bright,
when the world calls
us to night,
we’ll remember how
this tastes —
love that nothing
can replace.
Final
Chorus:
One more bite before
we go,
hold the sweetness
that we know.
Through whatever
comes to light,
we’ll remember this
one bite —
one more bite… one
more bite.
7.
Coffee Shop Philosophers (Contemplative
Folk).
Verse 1:
We solve the world’s troubles
over lattes and cream,
debate the meaning of life in a
caffeine dream.
Socrates in the corner booth,
Plato at the bar,
Aristotle taking orders —
wisdom travels far.
Chorus:
Coffee shop philosophers,
answers appearing in the foam of
perfect milk,
truth pouring clear.
Cheesecake as our textbook,
espresso as our guide —
coffee shop philosophers,
with love right by our side.
Verse 2:
Existential questions
float in the morning mist.
Each sweet bite we share
adds a line to our list.
Things we’ve learnt together
in this temple rich with cream,
where wisdom tastes like lemon
and lingers in the dream.
Bridge:
Descartes said, I think,
therefore I am,
but we’ve outgrown that tidy
plan.
We eat, therefore we love;
we love, therefore we’re blessed.
Outro:
Here in our café
chapel,
with steam and
laughter pressed,
we’re coffee shop
philosophers,
and this is
happiness
8.
The 6 AM Regular (Blues‑influenced).
Verse 1:
Six o’clock each
morning,
On the same old café
stool.
This coffee must be
savoured,
I ain’t nobody’s
fool.
But when that
cheesecake hits the table,
something changes in
this place.
First one through
the door each day,
waiting for the
sweet ballet.
Chorus:
I’m the six AM regular,
The first customer each dawn,
been coming for twenty years,
even when heart was gone.
This café saved my weary soul,
one creamy slice at a time —
I’m the six AM regular,
and everything’s just fine.
Verse 2:
Seen this place
through thick and thin,
smiles begin where
storms had been.
Golden slice of
heaven’s shine
keeps me coming,
keeps me fine.
Baristas change, but
I remain —
coffee and cream call
my name.
9.
Midnight Baking Blues (Slow Blues).
Verse 1:
Three AM and I’m
still here,
mixing batter,
wiping tears —
not from sorrow, but
from steam
rising from my
cheesecake dream.
Every batch a work
of art,
every slice straight
from my heart.
Chorus:
Got those midnight
baking blues,
but it’s the only
life I choose.
Workin’ while the
world’s asleep,
I’m making promises
to keep.
Midnight baking
blues, it’s so damn true,
love is why I’m
baking through.
Verse 2:
Flour on my apron
strings,
dreaming all the joy
this brings.
Tomorrow morning
lovers taste —
not a single crumb
to waste.
All my midnight
hours spent
making love you can
taste.
10.
Rainy Day Refuge (Gentle Indie
Pop).
Verse 1:
When the rain starts
falling and the world turns gray,
I know exactly what
you’re gonna say –
Out of the rain is
where we gonna stay.
Corner table, steamy
glass,
your hand in mine,
alone at last;
this café will be a
chapter in our past.
Chorus:
Rainy day refuge,
safe and warm,
great café weather
In a terrible storm.
Love and coffee,
cream and you —
rainy day refuge, me
and you.
Verse 2:
Thunder rolling,
people run,
This café is their
refuge hon,
Let’s just sit here still,
let the storm rage
on until —
we’ve got no time to
kill.
Raindrops etch our
love song clear
With my baby on this
rainy day
refuge is what
brought us here,
the food is while we’ll
stay.
Bridge:
Let it pour, let it
fall —
we’ve got the love to
weather it all.
In this corner of
the world,
In this café by your
side,
my love is true and cannot
hide.
11.
The Weekend Warrior (Country‑Pop).
Verse 1:
Monday to Thursday,
I’m a corporate drone,
I’m either at work
or asleep at home.
Friday arvo, I turn
off the phone,
Going somewhere to
be left alone.
To the café where my
heart can breathe,
Cheesecake and
coffee grant me a reprieve.
Chorus:
Weekend warrior in
the sweetness fight,
trading spreadsheets
for the café light.
Friday nights,
Saturday morns —
this is where my
spirit’s born.
Weekend warrior, wild
and free —
in this café baby,
you and me.
Verse 2:
Suit and tie can’t
define just who I am,
but this corner
booth still knows my plan:
to live for love and
creamy dreams,
conversation, you
and me —
this café’s my salvation
my weekend warrior
destination.
Bridge:
Five long days, I
play their game,
but Friday night
they don’t know my name.
I trade the office for
a corner seat,
where love and
laughter taste so sweet.
12.
Forever’s Flavor (Romantic
Ballad).
Verse 1:
If love had a flavour,
it would taste like this —
Cream and coffee,
sealed with my baby’s kiss.
Every bite a
promise, every sip a vow
to love you
completely, starting here and now.
Chorus :
Forever’s flavor is
so sweet and true,
tastes like coffee
and it tastes like you.
In every slice we
share tonight,
forever’s flavor is
a pure delight.
This is what forever
can taste like —
Coffee and
cheesecake by a candles light.
Verse 2:
I promise baby that’s
we’ll never fight,
Years from now,
we’ll look back on tonight,
remember how this café
felt just right,
how love shone
brighter than our dreams,
how forever’s flavor
was coffee and cream.
Bridge:
Some love fades, but
baby ours still grows,
sweet as cream – the whole world knows.
What we have can’t
be bought or made,
Our love’s a flavour
that will never fade.
Final
Chorus:
Forever’s flavor, in
every bite,
tastes like our
love, it tastes right tonight.
Through every year, come
what may,
forever’s flavor is here
to stay.
