Already been three sleepless nights,
Endless phone calls, connecting flights,
but I'm going to be there.

They lost my keys at the rent-a-car,
The road ahead is still very far,
but I'm going to be there.

The tank is about half full with gas,
My wits are shot, I'm low on cash,
but I'm going to be there.

I haven't eaten for a couple of days,
and I can barely see through the murky haze,
but I'm going to be there.

Be sure to leave the sheets turned down,
I promise I will not let you down.
I'm going to be there.

I've spent too much time taking.
Too much time breaking.
Too many nights in the cold, alone,
shaking.

I've spent too much time keeping,
long hours weeping.
Fighting off demons that are constantly
creeping.

But I will do this no longer,
I can be stronger,
Now's time to toss the junk that's making me
somber.

It's a wholesale clearing,
an escape from the fearing.
There's a new me a-coming, my spirit is
cheering.

So now I'll stand and surrender,
Move from hoarder to sender,
and open this new chapter in all of its
splendor.

I remember well, the sunny days.
Dancing in the square.
The music, all the smells and sounds,
and you right with me there.

I remember when they came and said,
"The evil days have passed.
Now, we mark a new beginning,
A hope for peace at last."

There was much feasting on that very eve,
and an endless sea of smiles.
Yet somehow we failed to see demons,
that had been lurking all the while.

Suddenly, our freedom yanked,
like a blanket off the bed.
In its place an endless night,
and a wave of pain instead.

Now, I'm in the deepest place.
Cold and hungry, all alone.
Set free inside this prison,
That I get to call my own.

Black and white, wrong and right,
Go ahead and trade the day for night.
Boots on the street, a slow defeat.
The lions are hungry, time to eat.

Frank despair fills up the square,
the outcasts lay their soul bare.
gaining steam, the new regime.
one mans terror, anothers dream

Distant places, angry races,
Simple lack of social graces.
They're taking part in urban art
gotta tear the place apart.

From flying flags, to tattered rags.
the streets are filled with garbage bags.
Unkempt, unclean, it's quite a scene
what do the voices on the TV mean?

They're coming for me,
They're coming for me,
The walls begin to crumble.

The war is here,
The war is here,
Beneath me the surface rumbles.

I'll stay and fight,
I'll stay and fight,
It's my duty to resist.

With whatever I've got,
With whatever I've got,
I'll throw the iron fist.

Never forget,
Never forget,
The hell that happened here.

If I should die,
If I should die,
The war won't disappear.

There's not many left,
There's not many left,
But no one's going to leave.

Peace is so distant,
Peace is so distant,
Still, we march on and believe.

So this is goodbye.
And I don't even know why,
In my tears I just try,
To understand.

You gave me so much,
Never long out of touch,
But now there's confusion
at hand.

You were a brother, a friend,
comrade to the end.
Through the curves and the bends
That came at us.

There was much that we learned,
a few times we got burned.
But we were never concerned,
about status.

So now I'm here and you're not,
in this loneliness spot,
and I'll give what I've got,
to be courageous.

So sweet soul, carry on,
To the place that's beyond.
Not even death breaks the bond
or separates us.

In my garden sits a flower.
Just a solitary rose.
Why it grows there with no other.
Perhaps God only knows.

The winds have yet to take it down,
It survived the summer storms.
No animal has ripped it up,
It’s stands tall in perfect form.

The soil’s not so great there.
It’s somewhat hidden from the light.
Yet it stays there, calm and beautiful,
Through the day and night.

Not a single mark or blemish,
Not a petal out of place.
Rising up so strong and stoic,
Thing of beauty and of grace.

I’ve lost much in this garden,
And perhaps that’s how it goes,
But sure as the sun will rise again,
I still have my perfect rose.

This tiny, vibrant flower,
Best thing my garden ever grew.
I wonder: Was it put here
So I’d always think of you?

There's little more than panic and despair,
Moving through the mass of frosty air.
These little golden dreams torn asunder at the seams,
It's almost just too much for me to bear.

You say there's no reason for concern,
as we watch the things around us smoke and burn.
Got to be be quick on your feet when there's panic in the street.
Will those forgotten spirits ever learn?

The mighty trees of freedom bend and sway,
struggling with the sickness and decay.
And I can't help but wonder "why" as I look toward the sky:
"Did we ever let ourselves get so astray?"

Above it all the flag, Old Glory reigns,
healing this wounded nation from her pains.
Before long we'll stand free next to Lady Liberty
and finally shed off these worn chains.

No reason now to hang a head in shame
or worry about a patriotic game.
Can we all focus now and build that shining city on the hill,
instead of worrying about just who's to blame?

Let it follow from sea to shining sea,
this great nation that is home to you and me.
No more petty old disputes, just a garden bearing fruit.
If the golden door is here we hold the key

I'm standing in the pouring rain,
praying it will cleanse this pain,
and bring my heart a bit closer to you.
More than distant memories,
like a raging wind or a roaring breeze,
For the days we had I will sing 'Hallelujah'

It's lonely in the room tonight,
but you're still here, my guiding light,
thriving in my heart and in my soul.
Nothing can replace your love,
now forever in the great above,
safe under the Lord's care and control.

Smiling, I think of your gentle touch,
Right now I want it oh so much,
Special life of yours, fragile and so brief.
Oh how I miss you, my heart it breaks,
my spirit weeps, my body quakes,
there's no shortcut when dealing with the grief.

So I'm standing here, it seems, to say
to the One who gives and takes away,
Wondering why this you chose to do.
Your plan is perfect, Your ways are sure,
Your love is endless, Your heart is pure,
so forever I will praise you. 'Hallelujah'

She beckons me with fireflies,
there's concrete sadness in her eyes.
Leave me soon these complex walls,
Of dust and steel waterfalls.
Guide me with your neon beams,
Through this sonic maze of dreams.
Out there in the summer heat,
Where flames burn up and down the street.
Lost in the glow of asphalt haze,
Dreaming of my younger days.
Waiting for my long lost friends,
At the grey place where the sidewalk ends.

What are we all really?
Except for echoes of our dreams
floating in a magical sea.
Surely as the sun sets each day
I'll be there on the shore
Waiting for your ship to come in
And then we'll dance together.

There so many things I had to say
That I never told you.
But maybe I didn't need to.
Maybe, in some distant, soulful way
You already knew.
And You already loved me for it.

What does it mean to be human?
What does it mean to be alive?
Maybe tonight's not the night
for questions or vague ponderances.
Maybe tonight is just for you and me,
Together, embraced under the twilight.

Do you remember what was in the air
that night we dreamt in Winnipeg?
The north so carefully veils her secrets,
We'll unlock them one by one.
Not today, not tomorrow, but right here in this moment.
We are the fragrance on the ice.

When the temperate moment is over,
I'll be taken away up the river.
To find my own blessed place.
Where vibrant wilderness calls out to me
sets my northern heart on fire
and wait for the day you come to me again.

Go out there now ye varmint ****,
You'd best move fast now. Run, run, run.
Ye mustn't take me for a fool,
I was watching when you broke the rules.

Slashed the ropes and loosed your lip,
tried to wreck my dear old ship.
Bad for you this pirate be,
Now find your grave fresh in the sea!

One step, two steps, three steps, go!
No mercy heathen, **, **, **!
No more gold nor *** for you,
No more plunder, no more stew.

I wouldn't save ye if I could,
now go on and walk that piece of wood.
Before long I'm sure You'll know
No mercies from the muck below.

The boys are here to watch the sentence,
and there shall be no appeal or repentance.
The jury ruled, the judge has spoken,
and the fury of the waves has woken.

Pray if ye want, it's your last breath.
Soon awaits a sudden death.
And if instead you choose to scoff,
I'll be quick to shove ye off.

Our bags are packed and we're ready,
But the buses have already gone
There's no gas left in the gas tank.
And no aeroplane to fly on.

We just missed the last of the boat trips,
and it's been awhile since we've seen a truck.
The helicopters don't come 'til later,
so it appears that for now we are stuck.

There isn't much point now in walking,
or taking a chance on a bike.
No, there's nothing to do except wait here,
Until the big storm brings its strike.

So we'll go and board up the windows,
tie down what we can with some rope.
Then we'll wait in the deep of the shadows,
And quietly hope against hope.

We pray that the wind keeps its distance,
and we don't wash away in a flood.
The Lord is our constant protector,
but fear is awake in our blood.

We got a few extra provisions,
and some mighty strong shoulders or two.
Will that though make much a difference
As we see what's about to come through?

We're supposed to be miles away now,
This was never part of the plan.
We're on the highest ground we can be on,
And here's where we'll make our stand.

My dear, how I wish it were different,
Had we been some of those who got out.
Now there's a chance to see up close,
What the fury of nature's about.

So hunker down and stay close to me,
We don't have to face this alone.
And by god, when this thing is over,
I hope that we still have a home.

Let it be said I was faithful,
and I gave it my very best.
Let my old heart still be beating,
When the storm clouds move to the west.

There's a bit of a breeze in the distance,
The biggest ones never come late.
There's nothing more that we can do now,
Except just to sit and to wait.

Silver bus, roaring through the city.
There's an army of lonely people
wandering around the sidewalks.
Angry horns fill the distance.

A taco vendor on the corner
is screaming like there's no tomorrow.
The poor woman with the dog near him,
doesn't know what to make of it.

Down by the courthouse
the protesters are at it again.
Cops man the barricades nearby.
Just another day in the big city.

And there, in the madness,
a young boy looks around bewildered.
As if to remind all of us
That we are letting go of what matters.

Don't ignore the small things,
No matter what the fall brings.
Don't ignore the small things,
Some are bigger than all things.

A manic driver plows through a puddle
soaking an old man on a bench.
In the park a college grad shrugs his shoulders
as the girl he was with walks away.

Ambulances and police cars
go ripping past the skyscrapers,
The fights are raging again,
Just beyond the tourist traps.

On a street corner a haggard man,
screams out of a bullhorn.
Are there any souls left here
for God to save today?

And the well dressed businessmen
are all smiles as they leave work.
But not even their money and power
is enough to repair the cracked roads.

Don't ignore the small things,
No matter what the fall brings.
Don't ignore the small things,
Some are bigger than all things.

I get so tired of staring at these things.

Tall. Ugly. Foreboding...

For so many years I have wrapped them around myself.

Thick, dense, fortified.

No one can get in.

And I can't get out.

Prisoner to the shallow fortress

Of my own sin.

Break them down! I say.

Smash them to pieces!

But it is not to be.

The barriers of the past do not fall easily.

Far too many bricks for an easy triumph.

Far too strong a storm for the sun to crack.

So let the rain come.

And I'll stay here in my brokedown castle.

Kept far away from freedom.

And right against the gates of nothingness.

It's a warm and humid night out there,
the creek beds are sitting dry,
And there's a spark of energy,
That's sailing across the sky.

You can almost feel it on your skin,
or sense it with your mouth.
It's one sure sign that summers raging,
in the Mississippi south.

Out along the beach resorts,
It blasts across the Gulf,
With all the the pent up rushing
of a radiating pulse.

Against the darkened mat of clouds,
what a frenzied show to see,
You don't need your cash tonight,
these fireworks are free.

There's no rain drops here to speak of,
beneath the brilliant moon,
but with the sky ablaze like that,
The storm is coming soon.

But enjoy it while you've got it,
Out in the yards and streets,
The flaming dance above our heads,
in the thick of summer heat.

Unrestrained by nature,
Quick and fierce and brash.
Powerful, relentless,
But vanished in a flash.

The world in darkness.
The world in light.
Which is it
that beckons me tonight?

The face of beauty.
The face of fear.
What strange thing
Has brought me here?

Tears of wonder.
Tears of pain.
Markedly different
Yet much the same.

A laugh of calmness,
A laugh of terror.
Is this a blessing
Or a fateful error?

A look of passion,
A look of fury.
Soon now comes
A time of worry.

Songs of sickness,
Songs of healing.
What great sorrow
Are they concealing?

Days of vengeance,
Days of Joy.
Built almost as much
As they came to destroy.

Moments of clarity,
Moments of madness.
Cast adrift
In an endless sadness

Believe in me.

Set me free.

Leave your mark

on my Destiny.

In this wild soiree,

What must be will be.

Despite the build of energy,

There’s no cause to fear or flee.

So please move on in certainty.

Because this is the new reality.

In time I know the things you’ll see.

And so I’ll make one final plea:

My love,  my dear...

Believe in me.

The baby's crying,
The baby's crying,
What can be the trouble now?

I hear the whining,
I hear the whining,
It's enough to raise my brow.

Is she hungry?
Is she hungry?
We have so little food.

Is she hurting?
Is she hurting?
She's the smallest of the brood.

Is she dreaming,
Is she dreaming,
of some chaotic ride?

Is she wishing,
Is she wishing,
for daddy at her side?

Take my hand,
Take my hand,
You are safe my darling child.

She'll be ok,
She'll be ok.
I can tell by how she smiled.

There we are at war,
the men of a hundred flags.
Prejudice and tyranny,
and a wave of body bags.

We don't care if it's religion,
gender, race or creed,
whatever your dividing line,
we've got the fight you need.

There's polished propaganda,
playing on the radio,
Got to get the meat to all the wolves,
So they'll move on with the show.

You might call it ***** politics,
but don't blame the legislature.
This my friend, is flesh and blood.
Simple human nature.

The guns are fully loaded,
the line of tanks have started rolling.
Surely you must understand,
the views that I'm extolling.

Some may call it inhumane,
or unfair extermination.
But sacrifices must be made,
to rebuild this torn nation.

You're either with us or against us,
there can be only one decision.
When we strike, we strike to ****,
with utmost sharp precision.

Don't worry friend, you'll have your wish
when the noble war is done.
Finally you'll see the day,
This country stands as one.

There is pain here...in the darkness.
There is loneliness...amidst the night
There is heartbreak...in the shadows
There is desperation...from the fog.

Nothing blooms...in the winter.
Nothing shines...in the deep.
Nothing waits...in the madness.
Nothing grows...in a wasteland

What has happened...to our spirit?
What has fallen...from our hearts?
What has blocked...the love within us?
What has ruined...our very soul?

Can you hear me...in the silence?
Can you feel me...in this place?
Can you know me...in an instant?
Can you love me...for eternity?

How can passion...hurt so dearly?
How can energy...be so pale?
How can unity...fall to pieces?
How can brokenness...become whole?

Why does life...defy explanation?
Why does death...scare us so?
Why does a man...abandon his own?
Why does a flame...cease burning forever?

Where does a broken soul...go to mend?
Where does a person...cease being human?
Where does a boy...become a true man?
Where does a hero...find no place to call home?

Everything ends...one time or another.
Everything changes...from the tides to the sky.
Everything freezes...in the cold of the winter.

Everything disappears...in the ashes of time.

I don't know where to go,
I don't know where to go,
I'm running out of road,
I'm running out of road.

But I gotta keep going,
I gotta keep going,
Through the mountains,
Through the trees,
Through the rivers,
Through the seas.

The pavement's at its end,
The pavement's at its end,
What comes next?
What comes next?

I got to keep searching,
Just got to keep searching,
Through places high,
Places low,
Through the desert
Through the snow.

On this evening of magic...
The sun hangs low,
Winds blow strong,
Nature shines in all her glory.
Up above the clouds roll past,
over a sea of vibrant hues.
With nights like these it's no mystery why,
it's so easy to soar in an indigo sky.

Along the great lakes...
mighty trees stand watch,
eternal guardians of nature's sanctum.
The money men should know,
this place must stay untouched,
and flourish as the years go by,
Swift as a bird in the indigo sky.

They're coming, they're coming.
Come on, get out of bed.
Start running, start running,
unless you'd rather be dead.

They're shooting, they're shooting,
keep your head low.
They're looting, they're looting.
Everything's gonna go!

They're screaming, they're screaming,
"****** death to the poor!"
It's seeming, it's seeming,
things have rot to the core.

They're fighting, they're fighting,
anyone in their way.
Flame igniting, flame igniting,
it won't be held at bay,

They're rushing, they're rushing,
They've cut off every route.
So crushing, so crushing.
Can't escape the pursuit.

They've found us, They've found us,
there's no where to run.
All around us, all around us,
The end has begun.

Fabricated of delicate wisdom
Ravaged by an unsettled world
Astonishing yet vulnerable
Guarded, like the stalked prey
Inevitably more complex than before
Listening for the futures thunder
Emotional 'til the very end.

I have no name...
No identity...
No destiny....

I am the child of nothingness,
The feted offspring of anonymity.
I feel neither pleasure nor pain.
I am but an afterthought,
A forgotten shadow in a valley of lights.
I do not yearn to explain my existence,
I simply accept it.

There are those of us meant to thrive in ambiguity,
To embrace the power of the obscure.

I seek not rewards nor accolades,
My only desire is to remain an enigma.
I am the lone soldier in the War of the Mundane,
Forever cloaked from the eyes of the world.

I am Nothing...
I am No one...
I am simply...

...X.

Tie it up on me.
Tie it up tight.
Let me be trapped in the
still of the night.

Keep me imprisoned,
Keep me subdued,
Anything else
Would just ruin the mood.

Silence my crying,
Silence my voice.
Lead me to feel
I had no other choice.

Break me with violence,
Break me with fear.
Leave me to wonder
how I ever got here.

Laugh as you hurt me,
Laugh at the shadows.
Hear the beat of my heart
as it quakes and it rattles.

Cover me in anguish,
Cover me in scorn,
Rip at my clothes 'til
they're tattered and torn.

Mock my entrapment.
Mock my cold face.
Treat me like garbage,
that's cheap to replace.

Leave me in darkness,
Leave my pain to release.
And perhaps in the madness
I'll finally find peace.

There I am, it's kind of late.
Shadows abound.
What madness is this that condemns me?
The muffled screams fill the air
on a strangely naked night.

Guilty as charged.
Yes, I did the deed.
The punishment will be soon and swift.
More than a sentence,
I'd say I've earned a page or more.
Send me off to the gallows.
I am ready.

For I do not cry when good men die.
and I do not weep for the pain I keep.
I cannot undo the nature of what I am.
I cannot forego that which has been done.

So throw me in the hole!
Just like the rest of them.
I'll rest quietly in the shallow muck.
Good and strong and noble.

What else can it be, on the deathbed you see,
but the ashes that billow from my eternal pillow.

No grace in this here.
But that's how it goes.
I never wanted anything special.
Remembrance is for the honored.

For me, the end is very different.
I get no eulogies or dirges.
No songs or poems.
Just a rugged damp hole.
And if I'm lucky, a tear or two.

But this is who I am.
And it's too late to go back.
The pain has suffocated me.

Sheets of cold rain pour down from the clouds,
covering the sullen, black dressed mourning crowds.
Row after row of fresh looking white crosses,
Has there been anything gained from these terrible losses?

It's just one more ceremony, another farewell,
to more brave young men who couldn't make it through hell.
You listen to the speeches and the notes of the dirge,
And through every moment, there's not but a surge...

...of emotion, of morals, of human expression.
Just an unstoppable combat obsession.
"It's just part of the game" that's what you say,
"we must keep fighting on until we win the day!"

We thought you would free us, we bought into the speech,
You made us believe a better life was in reach.
So we went to the polls and chose you as the one,
setting up a disaster that can't be undone.

There can be no excuses now, don't even bother,
You sealed our fate like lambs to the slaughter.
You think you're a leader, you think you're a man?
We should have stopped this before it even began.

The war drums were beating, you just had to listen,
you were committed to the cause, a slave to the mission.
"Get me the guns, get me the ammo,
get me the tanks, the helmets, the camo!"

There's no peace in your mind, just perpetual war,
got to end all the conflict, got to settle the score.
There's no second guessing, no restraint and no waiting,
there's no need for diplomacy or endless debating.

There's only the guns going off in the shadows,
only the soldiers running fresh to the battle.
And as you gaze upon the river of blood on the floor,
all you think to yourself is "I got to have more."

How many night raids and bombs will it take,
until you think "maybe I made a mistake..."?
How many body bags,  how many graves,
before you conisder the way you behave?
  
There may be an escape here,a pathway to peace.
Would we ever see it if the cannons don't cease?
But you'd never want a truce, couldn't handle the silence,
you need the action, the marching, the violence.

No longer human, you're a terrible beast,
there's famine all around you, but you've got the feast.
You need the caviar, the champagne, the steak,
who cares about the poor souls you have to break?

The wounds pile up, the true reality stuns,
but you're numb to it all: "Just bring me more guns!"
Is there any sanity left do you figure,
when you've got your hand permanently stuck on the trigger?

The mightiest soldier, the general, the king,
but inside your heart lay this terrible thing.
The conscience is absent, there's a dry empty soul,
and a man who is primal and out of control.

There's no sense of calm or peace in your heart,
you're just patiently waiting for the next engagement to start,
Great in the theater, but no good as an actor,
There's no sense of justice, no morality factor.

A wave of change is approaching, my friend, you've been marked,
but still you just sit there in the shadowy dark,
You choose to ignore it, absorbed by your pride,
But they won't go away now, there's thousands outside.

They're sick of living in danger, of living in peril.
they're sick of the mortars, the guns and the barrels.
They've set up a cleansing to get rid of the cancer,
and I don't think they're going to take no for an answer.

You may sit there and think me a fool.
because I point out all the flaws in your rules,
but I guarantee the moment they burst through the doors,
the last shot, the very last death..will be yours.

The doctor’s left the room now dear,
It’s only you and me,
Until this moment I never knew,
How difficult this would be.

I know the time is getting late,
the moon is hanging high,
and a solitary quiet tear
is trickling from your eye.

These days have been so trying,
I know you badly want to rest,
But if you are willing to allow me,
I have one small request:

Let’s go dancing one more time,
The way we always did,
And tear up that old wooden floor,
Like two lovestruck young kids.

You used to love our nights out,
I can still see that winning smile,
We had the best moves of anyone,
A truly special style.

The years, they passed so quickly,
And our bodies slowed us down,
But every time that music played,
We just had to move around.

It’s no secret that a day will come,
When we’ll have to say goodbye,
But sooner or later we’ll meet again,
At that dance club in the sky.

And I’ll be there dressed to the nines,
The band will start to play,
I’ll take my lady by the hand,
And have one thing left to say:

Let’s go dancing one more time,
We’ll tear up that old floor,
And by the time the song ends,
We’ll still be wanting more...

Why do we weep? Why do we cry?
Do we not love until we die?

That promise kept, the night we wept.
lonely hours I never slept.

There are dreams...so it seems.
Aching pain...can't explain.

Panicked cries sweep all around
and then I woke up to the sound

Of the blissful ones, out in the sun,
burning bright 'til the work is done.

On they toil, in the scorching soil,
with skin that breaks and blood that boils.

Go, hold the staff on my behalf,
perhaps it will become my epitaph.

I see it on the stone: "He came alone
did what he must, then I called him home."

It's not my night, it's not my fight.
It's not my job to make it right.

The hammer falls when duty calls
And in the ashes, freedom stalls.

No more rains, no more pains,
Its really nothing I can explain.

And that's all for me,
that's all for me,

that's all, you see.

I regret to inform you the battle's been lost,
we fought for our cause but could not pay the cost.
the ground is shaking beneath me and children are screaming,
I know this is real, but how I wish I were dreaming.

I managed to hide here, in an old musty den,
and within rubble and debris I found an old pen.
So I write you this verse on the current atrocities,
such inhuman hate filled with cold animosities.

Buildings are crumbling and trees and have been burned,
the world is scorched but the lesson? Not learned.
The end game approaches, the hour so fleeting.
There's nowhere to run. No escape. No retreating.

The smoke billows in and the cannonballs fly,
as fire and brimstone fall from the sky.
I hear angry footsteps approaching the door,
It's not safe here much longer but I must tell you more.

I don't know how this started, but you can surely blame,
the rich, greedy tyrants and their bloodletting game.
The foul stench of flesh, punishing as a curse,
and that's the just the tip of an iceberg far worse.

I wish I could finish, but I'll stop here I think,
as I'm sorry to say I've just run out of ink...

Meet the new neighbors, what a lovely young pair,
He in a pressed suit and her with long flowing hair.
They've got the white picket fence, they're living the life
but something's amiss with the cute smiling wife.

She carries a secret so awful, so deep,
A woman broken and bruised at the hands of a creep.
Kept in a basement, labeled as chattel,
Treated not as human but a dumb piece of cattle.

She is his property, a lone prized possession,
Absorbing the punishment, but where's the transgression?
Her tears burst through the dam in a torrential flood,
Driven by the sight of the bruises and blood.

When they step out in public, he puts on a show,
Acting a perfect gentleman wherever they go.
Other women say "oh my, what a catch!"
As she manages to hide every deep cut and scratch.

He smiles and waves to them, what a great guy!
No one ever notices the look in her eye.
They are a beautiful couple, sharp looking and young,
Out on the town for some good wholesome fun.

It's there, the discomfort, the raging frustration,
But she holds it inside, lest she face devastation.
So she plays along with the fantasy, buries the strain,
Puts on a fake smile and suppresses the pain.

But how long can she go on with this awful routine?
"If only, if only the truth could be seen!"
She thinks to herself while committing the crime,
Waiting for an out, biding her time.

She has only one shot to break free and escape,
Away from the beatings and bruising and ****.
So she lays out every detail in her head,
Knowing full well if she fails, she's dead.

After a couple of months, she chooses her time,
Takes a deep breath and puts her life on the line.
In the darkness of night, she makes for the outside,
Suddenly she hears him: "where do you think you'll hide?"

He was already on to her, aware of the plot,
And he lashes out with every ounce of sweat that he's got.
By the time he is finished she's crushed to the core,
"That ought to teach you, you stupid young *****!"

So it's back to the basement, back to the cell,
Her own little desperate corner of hell.
Her master is so furious, angry and seething,
But by some freak occurrence she is still here and breathing.

For the next 15 years he robs her of joy,
She is his precious, his plaything, his toy.
It finally ends one day when the cops storm the place,
And walk out her master in a display of disgrace.

Down at the station they don't really care.
They just need the facts, the who, when and where.
She may be battered, roughed up and burned,
But the folks who surround her just seem unconcerned.

Walking out of the precinct a cool wind passes through,
She cinches up her jacket and thinks: "Now what will I do?
I've had my sprit torn from me, for twenty odd years,
am I just supposed to forget the dark and the fears?"

Despite every bit of it, she won't give up the fight,
though she still finds it ******* a quiet, long night.
Master's been put away now, a life sentence times three
She's away from his grasp but will she ever be free?

I'm sorry I haven't seen you in awhile.

I've been off doing my own thing,
in a distant place.

Somewhere I can't see you,
Somewhere I can't feel you.

Somewhere you can't hurt me,
Somewhere you can't find me.

Before we were friends.
Then the storms came.
The ground shook beneath my feet,
and the forest turned to desert,
before my very eyes.

You might want me back,
but I don't think this is going to work anymore.

In the cosmos, your beauty glistens,
a jewel draped in sunlight.
So pretty, so overwhelming,
and so dangerous and petty.

Go ahead, act like I don't have a choice in this.
You think you know everything about me?
I hate to break it to you,
but there are plenty of other jewels
amid the stars.

So long and farewell then.
A new frontier awaits.

We've come a long way brother, I'm sad to see you go,
your constant presence at my side meant more than you could know.
Yes, we fought the wars together and by a hair we both survived.
That's always how we liked it: beaten, bruised but still alive.

Do you remember in the heady days, just how this all began?
We were just two young determined guys, without a real plan.
But we brought it all together and soon it became apparent,
That before too long we'd pass the phase of the foolish and the errant.

The great dynamic duo, the amazing perfect pair,
No one that stood against us would even have a prayer.
The great bond that can't be broken, of that I'm all but certain,
We'd be there side by side together, until the final curtain.

They'll write great songs about us, tell legendary tales,
Of those two amazing brothers who always managed to prevail.
Yes it's been a roller coaster ride, we nearly touched the sky.
But now the time has come when we have to say a tough goodbye.

The road is changing up ahead, we're set for different lanes,
You go your way, I go mine, things never quite the same.
I know it's necessary and I know it's for the very best,
but that doesn't mean I have to like it, it's not easy to digest.

I'll be ok without you. I promise you I will,
Kept strong by the faith and purpose, you managed to instill.
The distance, never easy. The separation, tough to swallow.
Used to be that where you went, I was the one to follow.

All of that has changed now and we're both on our own,
but I still believe we'll never have to face this world alone.
You've got your fighting spirit and lord knows that I've got mine,
there's no doubt that we can bring it when the worst is on the line.

So sadly this is where I leave you, but I never will forget,
every grueling sacrifice, every bit and blood and sweat.
A new path lays ahead for you, so enjoy it all my friend,
and know that one way or another, I'll be waiting at the end.

There stands a man so cunning and quick,
you just know he's got a tight hold of his ship.
He knows every bolt and he knows every plank,
He knows every pulley and lever and crank.

He's been on the seas for three decades and more,
but he always gets his old boat back to the shore.
With a talented crew who stand by one another.
As one they are comrades, as one they are brothers.

They'll take whatever the great waves will give them,
they'll fight impossible battles and somehow still win them.
When the war is over they'll celebrate with an ale,
and add to their storehouse of glory and tales.

As the ship grows in legend, notch by simple notch,
You'll no doubt find the Captain as he keeps careful watch.
This is his ship, so you best play by his rules,
For he is a skipper that has no time for fools.

They'd give it up for him, their strength and their life,
They'd walk with him through every pain, every strife.
It's a unique kind of loyalty this Captain commands.
What a hero! What a leader! My god, what a man!

I did so much for you.

So many things.

So many wonderful, painful things.

I walked the long walks.

I traveled the ragged roads.

I climbed the icy mountains

and I went over the mighty cliffs.

Now I am left with practically nothing.

Save for my own shattered spirit.

I think what bothers me the most.

Is how gradually you took it from me.

Day by day.

Hour by hour.

Minute by minute.

You kept chipping away.

More.

and more.

and more.

Until there was so little left of me I could barely stand.

You threw me into the wilderness.

And left me to drift in the storms.

You probably thought I would die quickly.

But I am still out here. Cold, empty, waiting.

Waiting for the moment when you find yourself in this wilderness.

And it is here, in the loneliness with me,

that your final judgment

will be cast upon you.

And I will be the one

to drop the hammer.

What was will be.

What is will be no more.

And then finally, the storms will consume us both.

Forever.

I know you.

I know your every thought.

I know your every fear.

And your every dream.

You accuse me of not caring,

But I've been watching.

I've been waiting.

I've been learning.

You just don't know it yet.

So save your angry words,

Save your frustration,

and save your anguish.

Because I  know you.

And when the time is right,

You'll know too.

This old house, this grey broken place,
Frozen in time as an eternal disgrace.
Children live hollowed, a family displaced,
A past without meaning, a future erased.

Pale blue walls and long fading boards,
Shredded white curtains and fire ant hoards,
Such are the stains of hate and discord
And the glory of what here once was? Now ignored.

Beyond rusty metal and chipping off paint,
You'll find a soft bed with some tiny restraints,
Out in the shadows, a little girl cries faint,
A childhood of sorrows. Not peaceful, not quaint.

It's so hard to see from the rotting dead wood,
In the place where warmth and passion once stood.
There's some photos to save but I don't know if I should.
And a story to tell but I'm not sure that I could.

Up those broken stairs are two little boys beds,
Where they used to lay down their adventurous heads.
But now there's no laughter, no fuzzy warm spread,
Just suffering and fear and loathing instead.

And so I wallow in memories painfully sore,
completely devoid of strength left to explore.
So I bid farewell to the dark place once more,
Pack up my anguish and head out the door.

Great sunken mistress
Take me to the depths of the sea.
Let me wallow in the whispers,
Coming from the murky darkness.

Iron giant slips beneath the surface.
The stars, now but invisible.
Moonlight can not touch her.
Cruel emptiness fills the air.

Barreling through the salty chaos,
In a desperate race for death.
Crashing into the muddy bottom,
She finds a watery grave.

In the lifeboats, lamentations.
The survivors far too few.
No Captain to take command,
He's gone down with his lady.

A young girl softly crying,
On this awful frigid night.
So little movement in the distance,
Is help even on the way?

At break of dawn, a rescue,
but no jubilation to be had,
Survivors far too few
and heartaches far too many.

Still, sunken mistress waits there,
For a day that won't ever come.
Just another dreary chapter,
in the great mysteries of the sea

Through the mist of lonely mountains deep,
Where danger waits in demons keep.
We'll venture forth, towards the north,
Facing shadows within the steep.

Up on the ridge, ferocious beasts attack,
With flailing sword, we push them back.
At birth of night, we'll win the fight,
Triumph finds us there in the black.

Wind and snow thrash over the icy peak,
As we press on, but tired and weak.
The journey long, our spirits strong,
Ancient treasure is what we seek.

Three weeks on, in the heart of the burning core,
Restless muse of travelers lore.
And up ahead, the fire spreads,
With brilliant and thunderous roar.

As we search for long forgotten gold,
Through rivers bleak and castles old.
We won't abate or hesitate,
To seize the prize that's been foretold.

In the fog, we walk through the swamp land blind,
All pain and fear, left far behind.
Our desperate chore, the golden door,
Out there waiting for us to find.

And on that day, when the gold shines in our hands,
we'll be warriors and kings of man.
A victory earned, the shadows burned,
A day of reckoning for centuries planned.

Ride for the distance
and tear up the track.
Ride for the distance
and never look back.

Ride on the thunder,
and blast through the storm.
Ride on the thunder,
The sound and the form.

Ride for the horizon,
Unhindered and freed.
Ride for the horizon,
and crank up the speed.

Ride through the fury,
and come out unscathed.
Ride through the fury,
take control of the day.

Ride through the darkness,
in the deep of the night.
Ride through the darkness,
with the stars shining bright.

Ride through the mountains,
and hold a firm line.
Ride through the mountains,
you're one of a kind.

Ride for the moment,
There's plenty of gas
Ride for the moment,
The worst things have passed.

Ride for the sunset,
The battle is won.
Ride for the sunset,
The struggle is done.

Ride on forever,
There's no keeping score.
Ride on forever,
The world is yours.

Tick...Tock...

I feel it coming for me.

Tick...Tock...

Fear trickles through my bones.

Tick...Tock...

No room left for sanity.

Tick...Tock...

Our politics have failed us.

Tick...Tock...

Our egos have failed us.

Tick...Tock...

Our arrogance has failed us.

Tick...Tock...

And we have failed our children.

Tick...Tock...

There's not much time left.

Tick...Tock...

I suppose we can only hope...

Tick...Tock...

Doomsday won't be as bad as they say...

Tick...Tock...
...
...
        
BOOM!!!!!

I don't have to work in the fields no more,
or listen to the garbage they say.
There's no need to pick the springtime crops,
my Master's gone away.

There won't be no more whuppings,
There won't be no more pain.
And maybe not too long from now,
I'll feel human again.

There won't be any screaming,
There won't be any blood.
I won't ever again be stuck out here,
picking cotton in the mud.

I won't live in a pig sty,
I won't be caked in dirt,
And maybe someday I'll get to wear
a freshly ironed shirt.

There won't be metal shackles,
There won't be bruising chains.
Now I'm not condemned to live
beneath the tyrants reign.

I could go find a woman,
a lovely darling wife.
I can do now like the free man does.
I've been handed back my life.

I won't be his dog no more,
his rodent in the ditch.
If that's what money do to a heart,
then don't let me be rich.

I suppose you could call me lucky,
I thought I'd never make it.
Now the blessins come my way,
and by god, I'm gonna take it!

I'm leaving these old fields behind,
I'm done with work today.
There's a new road out there for me now,
My Master's gone away.

Wicked jungle, wild feast.
Go the distance, tame the beast.
Dance among the deadly trees,
in the blanket of a burning breeze.

Darkened, primal, forest floor.
Frame of natures darkest door.
Up the loudly raging river.
The body quakes, the spirit shivers.

Endless leaves and ragged vines,
Can't you read between the lines?
Birds of prey and a poison snake,
The wretched animals awake.

Running down that muddy path,
face the pain and feel the wrath.
The only chance that you've got now,
is whatever instinct will allow.

On the shore of the open lake,
You've just made your last mistake.
Hope is gone, you've lost control,
in the chaos, swallowed whole.

Judge.
Jury.
Sound.
Fury.

Violence.
Crime.
Danger.
Time.

People­s
Court.
Last
Resort.

Verdict.
Sentence.
Cold
Repentance.

Lawye­rs.
Police.
War
and Peace.

Guilty.
Missed them.
Broken
System.

Let me out...I am the fury

Let me out...I am the pain

Let me out...I am the growing storm

That brings the driving rain.

Loose the shackles...I want freedom

Loose the shackles...Set me free

Loose the shackles...let me be those things

that I know I can be.

Break the chains...I've served the sentence

Break the chains...I've paid the price

Break the chains...The judge has ruled

and I won't be put on trial twice.

Tear the walls down...make 'em shatter

Tear the walls down...piece by piece

Tear the walls down...wreck the prison,

and let the dark confinement cease.

Smash the doors...the game has started.

Smash the doors...the race is on.

Smash the doors...And keep on running

until the coming break of dawn.

Let me out...I am the chaos.

Let me out...I am the deep.

Let me out...I've long been resting,

but I've no more time for sleep.

Beep...Beep...Beep

In a chaotic instant

The memories of this life that has been

Unfold in the distorted window

That lays within my mind.

There is madness.

There is confusion.

But there is also an odd calm

That overwhelms me.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

Voices around me screaming.

A manic energy fills the place.

My eyes are filled with emptiness.

My hands don't want to move.

A shadowy figure emerges from the distance.

Beep...beep...beep...

Some unknown object rips into me.

The delirium is suffocating.

There's no obvious escape route.

There's nowhere for me to go.

Beep...beep...beep....

Smooth metal bars lay at my side.

Is it some kind of twisted prison?

More and more people surround me.

The voices are almost too much.

Beep...beep...beep...

Another sharp jab to my body.

Another odd wave of hysterics.

A mysterious warmth comes over me.

And beckons me to go with it.

Prison bars fade into darkness.

Freedom has come at last.

Beep...Beep..................

In the morning I wake up
Try to work past the gloom,
and ignore the anxiety
that’s filling the room.

Walk into the kitchen,
prepare myself some food.
do what I can
not to sulk, not to brood.

Off to the corner,
Take a seat in my chair.
Then I sullenly look
out the window and stare.

The rain falling gently,
The skies filled with grey.
I just can’t find a reason
to be happy today.

There’s nobody coming
To visit me here.
No friendly presence,
to dissipate all my fears.

The phone sits there silent.
No one is calling.
My home is well looked after
but hardly enthralling.

My only companion
Died five years ago.
I’ve somewhat kept moving,
albeit painfully slow.

What’s left of me
feels in such disarray.
I just can’t find a reason
to be happy today.

My son never calls me,
always has other plans.
I suppose that he thinks,
that I’ll just understand.

Most friends never take time,
to ask “how are things?”
They just don’t want to hear
That there’s pain and it stings.

I haven’t got a place
for a cat or a dog.
No, it’s just me here
As I sit in the fog.

I could try to do different,
from this eccentric bouquet,
but I just can’t find a reason
to be happy today.

You've got me,
You've got me,
In the harsh grip of your madness.

You feel me,
You feel me,
as I try to break free.

You toss me,
You toss me,
To the edge of forever.

You burn me,
You burn me,
'Til I have nothing left.

You strike me,
You strike me,
With a fist of cold vengeance.

You thrash me,
You thrash me,
Until I am shattered.

You tempt me,
You tempt me,
with the heart of the beast.

You hear me,
You hear me,
as I shout into the darkness.

You trap me,
You trap me,
In a prison of flames.

You crush me,
You crush me,
until I turn into dust.