There’s no warmth in the house this Friday night
There are no candles burning
No peace, no blessing to accompany the light
Only tears and vague thoughts of returning
There’s no song or spirit permeating the air
No children’s voices or laughter
Memories can’t begin to make up for what’s not there
And there’s no happily ever after
This is the sixth day
Is this what I’ve been working all week for?
There was evening, and then there was morning
It’s Friday night at the Shore.
There’s no family to support a sagging heart
No love to offset the lonely
No teleportation to bring together the apart
There’s no guarding the day to keep it holy
There’s no two angels following me home
There’s nowhere to follow me home from
There’s no woman of valor to be praised with a poem
No grace or loving kindness by your lonesome
This is the sixth day ...
Well, there’s bands playing on the strip tonight
There’s music to be made
There’s beer to be drunk, people to be danced with
And all sorts of hell to raise
There’s fast cars on the circuit again
They’re cruising and running real hot
There’s lovers, lizzies, and lotharios
Looking to give it their best shot
This is nothing like I’m used to for Friday night
It’s a frosted mug instead of a silver cup
But if as long as I’m here and I can’t do it right
At least I’ll plunge in head first and do it up
And when the morning comes I’ll crash on the beach
I’ll do that summer shore thing
Remembering the day and thinking of each
Song my holy brothers and sisters sing
This is the sixth day ...
©2023 The Hesh Inc.
When I moved back to the East Coast from Los Angeles in 2006, I felt the loss of the life I had left behind most acutely whenever Friday night came around. The warmth of family and friends around the Sabbath dinner table was sorely lacking and I often felt that if I couldn't have it the way I loved it, I didn't want it at all.
The music to this song was lifted mostly from a song by my old friends, the 1990s-era, Reading, Pennsylvania– and Jersey Shore–based band Fire Tribe/78 West, called "Is This America?" (sorry, guys), with a bit of Shlomo Carlebach/Moshav's "Higher and Higher" thrown in at the end of the bridge. Rehearsed on the piano but so far not recorded or performed live.