After the after party

Even the most familiar face

Can disappear without a trace

Amidst a crowd of theatregoers

I had been waiting for a while

My stare mistaken for a smile

Till I found the person

No-one knows as well as I do

A hug hello and I'm beside you again

I know the lines to read between

And when you've stolen every scene

For good and all, the curtain closes

And though you mightn't win awards

The audience applauds

No-one knows as well as I do

The untold hours till I'm beside you again

But tomorrow when you wake

And you feel a little flat

I won't make the mistake

Of reminding you of that

The understudy understands

The patience it demands

We're enjoying what we'll just call champagne

If they could only act their age

But all the world's a stage they're going through

After the after party is over

And the last of the cast is removed from the sofa

Then, and only then, am I beside you again

Late at night on threadbare carpet

So in the cold, hard light of the supermarket

Please! There were grazes on my knees