Adulthood's hour has come to call
Childhood's time has lost its thrall
The clock chimes now, a tolling bell
Marking the passing with every knell

No more games, no time to play
For fragile youth's long gone astray
No hobby horses or decoder rings
The time has passed for simpler things

Leave your toys to gather dust
Leave the playground alone to rust
Be one of us, the time is nigh
So hurry now, and say goodbye

To innocence and naïveté
Leave your hope out in the street
Put away your childish things
Here we have no use for dreams

Imagination's a liability
That clings with fervent tenacity
Put it away with your childish things
Here we have no use for dreams,
Here we have no use for dreams.

Narcissus in chains
Head hung in shame
Where once was beauty
Now nothing remains
No other to blame
Self-bound and tamed
The pitiful, once proud
Narcissus in chains

A flower in bloom
Eventually wilts
Bright leaves growing dim
As essence is spilt
Lifeblood grows weak
Decrepit and stained
All pretty things fade
As the earth lays claim
Broken and twisted
Like narcissus in chains

Reflected in a pool
An image shows true
Until shattered and torn
By a rock falling through
Rippling, tattering
Illusion no more
Cracked and fragmented
As one's inner core
And what's left on shore
Now forever is changed
Who made you so
Oh, narcissus in chains

Time steals beauty
And flowers, they rot
Clear pools dry up
Their waters forgot
As things fall to change
One still remains:
The pitiful, once proud
Narcissus in chains

The stars are beautiful from the beach-
Especially on this moonless night
Bright and sparkling, every pinpoint
Reflected on the black water,
Dancing with the soft motion
Of windswept waves
The same sea breeze tousling my hair

They look almost close enough to touch
To reach out and pluck
Right from the inky black bay
To hold like some errant firefly
Far from home

Standing upon the silken sand
Feeling it work its way between my toes
I begin to walk toward the lights
A siren call beating within my brain

Just a little closer…

Quickly
The waves lap at my feet
The soft caress of the water
Gentle and welcoming

Another step, another step
My intrusion rippling against the break
Stars dancing farther from my fingers
Still so tantalizingly close

Just a little closer…

Farther, deeper
The warm silk of the bay
Enveloping me like
A lover’s arms
A mother’s hug
Comforting and calming

Almost there, just a little more…

My feet no longer touch
The shifting sands below
Yet still
I move forward
Borne away by the tide

Floating, fighting to grasp
Just one burning pinprick
Of starlight
To feel its warmth within my palm

Just a little closer…

Floundering, fishing for
One final, futile touch
(I’m sinking)
Arms outstretched
Reaching toward those
Teasing
Tantalizing
Stars
No longer sure where they lie
(And oh, they lie)
Surf or sky
And still they sing

Just a little closer…

She said my kisses felt like fire
As they crept along her skin
I knelt down, begged, and pleaded
But she would not let me in

She said it hurt too much;
She couldn't stand my touch
She said-

"You've got poison in your veins, boy,
And a hole there in your heart,
The closer we're together,
The more we're torn apart

You're all full up on nothing,
There's no room left for love
You're more suited down below
Than shining bright above"

I reached to pull her tight
And whisper in her ear
"I never meant to hurt you,
But you wouldn't love me, dear

Now give me one last kiss
As I hold you close to me-
If I'm to rot below,
I can set you free"

I'll keep filling up on nothing
To plug this hole within my heart
Though she's gone away, away,
We're never far apart

Well I've got poison in my veins,
So a little more won't hurt-
I'm sure one day I'll wake to find
They've lain me in the dirt

But now all in dying from
Is a dreadful, dreadful thirst-
If I've got poison in my veins
Then a little more won't hurt

Come young Sir,

To me, to me

Would you like to buy a Dream?

Or perhaps, a Memory?



Come to me,

I’ll let you peek

At what’s forgotten

Or what you seek

My whole stock is guaranteed

And the first look is always free



Of course,

They needn’t be your thoughts-

I’ve many more

That others have brought

Bought, or traded;

Even some I’ve finely wrought

Myself



Do you seek to become another?

Feel the touch of a forgotten lover?

I promise you, you’ll find no other

Who’s wares compare to mine!



Or would you rather sell a few?

Things best forgotten, never viewed

Tortured by some inner pain

Torn by guilt, wracked with shame

If you like, I can buy your bane

Away



I can take them off your hands-

For a modest fee, naturally-

I am, you see, a business man

But I’ll take good care of them,

Trust me, trust me



I’m backed by the bar, certified

My work really is a matter of pride

You’re already at my door-

Why not come inside?



So what’ll it be

What’ll it be?

Did you spy a pretty dream?

Or think some half-forgotten memory?



What’ll it be, what’ll it be?

Have a little peek on me…

Dance, my little marionette,

You’d best complete your act-

Lest I send up Punch and Judy

To beat you blue and black!



Twirl and spin, my puppet;

But be mindful of your wires,

For if you end up torn and tangled

I’ll feed you to the fire!



Do your best to thrill the crowd,

But it best be good enough-

If my coffers don’t come back full

I’ll grind you into dust!



Listen to your master,

I am your puppeteer,

On stage I’m in control-

I am no puppet here



So sing and dance, my bauble,

And obey my every whim-

For the curtain, now, is lifting

And the show must soon begin

Tried to get a job
But 'Experience Required,'
Hard to get experience
If you never get hired
Likewise, they want
A college degree-
But wouldn't you know,
That **** ain't free!

One big loan and
Two low wage jobs later,
You've finally gotten
Some gilded scrap paper
(With no guarantee
Of a refund later!)

Can't keep up with the Jones'
If you're on the wrong track;
Can't pay your bills,
If you ain't got the scratch!
So you finally break down
And work for the man
In a dead-end 'career'
With no long-term plans
Just the same 9-5
With your head in the sand

Moving right along on
The same daily grind
Just another cog
In an assembly line
Where you buy your retirement
That four-oh-one-kay
Until your employer decides
To sell it away;
Dock your insurance,
Cut your hours at work,
Like it's a privilege to come!
(And you should pay them, of course.)

With two-point-five kids,
And a white picket fence,
A quaint little wife,
And dollars to cents
Pretending and playing
That everything's alright
Just barely above
The poverty line

Living out
That old American Dream!
Just keep your head down,
And repeat after me:
"I am safe, I am happy, I am free"

I am Safe,
I am Happy,
I am Free.

The night is strangely quiet,
But not silent-
The air thick,
Heavy,
A looming fog rumbling in.
Only the faraway yelping
Of a wayward dog
And the dull buzz
Of a tired sodium light
Dare break the silence;
The latter casting stark,
Sepia shadows among the leaves,
Hiding more than it reveals.
Strange,
Isn't it?
How the light can obscure

I sit alone
Among star and shadow,
And some things that are
Both,
And some that are
Neither.
Tugging on a bottle of cheap whiskey,
Filling lung with smoke,
Fruitlessly seeking solace in the

Stillness,

To empty my mind
In the brief hush between
Cigarette,
And shot.
Drag,
Swallow.

Time for some self-service surgery!
Another bottle in lobotomy,
Splinting back broken dreams
With time-battered memory
And just enough whiskey

There's supposed to be a difference
In Breathing, and Being Alive;
But for the life of me,
I can't remember why.
I
  Can't
     Remember,
         Why?

I'm on the wrong side of Heaven,
I'm on the outside looking in,
Peeping through a window
At the warmth that lay within.

On the low side of Paradise,
Out along the fringe,
The streets are just gold-plated,
And with corrosion, tinged

Beyond the reach of Zion,
Somewhere across the tracks,
With the Fallen's tarnished halos,
Their wings all burnt and black

I walk along the boundary line
Here I'm forced to dwell-
Not saint enough for Heaven,
Nor sinner fit for Hell.

Would you raise a little hell for me
While I'm sleeping in my grave?
Would you say a little prayer for me
While I'm dancing in the flames?

After all I did and died for you,
After all the **** you put me through,
Best believe me when I say it's true
I'm gon' raise a little hell for you...
Gon' raise a little hell!

I'm back again to walk these streets!
I want war, I don't want peace!
A pound of flesh if it's diseased,
That's all I really need!

Gon' claw my way up through the dirt
Gon' salt the wound until it hurts!
The devil's come (to) collect his due!
When I raise a little hell for you!

I hope the flames are burning bright
When you sink into the earth tonight
To dance in their internal light
Cause-

After all I did and died for you,
After all the **** you put me through,
Best believe me when I say it's true
I'm gon' raise a little hell for you!
Gonna raise a little hell...
Gonna raise a little hell...

None sob for the hero
When at last, his end he meets
No remembrances for deeds long done
Only lauding of defeat

No parades or tickertape
Or maybe moonlight vigils
Just a simple wooden box
And a few religious symbols

And everyone's a saint
And everyone's a martyr-
Brother, sister, mother
Son or daughter, father

For when Death finally comes
And surely takes us all,
No one weeps for any
When the last one finally falls

No one mourns the common man
No fanfare at his death
Just complacence and contempt
And softly veiled regret.

Isolation
Desperation
Circumnavigation
In search of something
Nothing
Everything
To find a path
Or blaze one
Like Macbeth
"What's done is done"
And no one comes
To tell you how
Or why
Or where
To head from here.

Destination?
Unknown.
In search of
A place
To be yourself
Nothing else
Not a mask
A faceless persona
A mote in a sunbeam
Cog in the machine
Empty flask
Dried husk
But revitalized
Reenergized
Brought back to life
Like a spring after a hard rain

Escape the inevitable,
The Conqueror Worm
Leave behind old worlds to burn
Embrace your inner form
Shelter from the outer storm
In search of
In search of-

I wonder if there’s a place
Where the old gods go to die,
Those who’ve passed from memory
Or stayed long past their prime

In some graven crypt
Do they linger there to keep
Company to the Nameless Ones
Who’ve long since been asleep?

Do they crumble into dust?
Or crystallize in stone?
Or follow us mere mortals,
Flesh dripping from the bone?

Every god will see a day
When no one knows their face-
They’re all-to-soon forgotten
And another takes their place

Does Anubis wait alone
In some dank embalming room
With no one left to mummify
And too many empty tombs?

Or Odin sit upon his throne
No more warriors to call,
No one left to drink his mead
Or fill Valhalla’s halls?

And what of all the other gods
For whom prayer comes no more?
How long until they turn to dust
And cede the earthly floor

To the new gods seeking power,
Though in their infancy-
Of Machine and Spark and Wire,
Of Information, Electricity-

Even Jehovah one day too,
Will be a relic in the past
As Christians forsake their Christ
And praise the Almighty Flow of Cash

The time has passed for blood and bone
And of sacrificial days-
Technology now takes its place
To send the old ones to their graves.

When I was but a child
I was hewn upon the cross
Paying penance in hammered nail
To keep from wandering, lost

For if my feet, they couldn’t stray,
Would commit no more to sin-
Except for that Original,
And the blot that lay within

Blinking, blood-blind eyes
Burned by brightest Son-
Would fail to meet the gaze
Under weight of crimes
I’ve only yet to’ve done

But soon became apparent
Being culled to feed the Wood-
Castigated;
Plumb, yet prostrate,
Would do me none for good

So,
Being not a martyr,
Or slave to other’s whims,
I set about to descend, and
Form and fashion, wood to bridge
Over the ocean of my sins

To free phalange from o’er spike
And leave a shining line-
To tread an unknown passage,
And seek what kismet mine-

Unburdened by the weight
Others sought upon to brand-
Reaching out, toward the Sun
Cupping it, softly
In my red right hand

Glitter Glitter
Shine and shimmer
Whether pressed in coin
Or rolled and mirrored,
Brick by brick
Watch it
Glimmer Glimmer
Here Dust and Gold will
Always linger
Safe from any grubby fingers

Mined and minted
“Mine!
I meant it!”
The oldest currency
Since
Flesh and bone;
This blood from stone
Makes the world go round, around
Makes the world go round

Sets the bar, makes a mark
In market shares
And achievement charts
A Golden Star, just for you
Gold Standard, Golden Ratio-
(My, how the luster glows…)
And, of course, the
Golden Rule-
More appropriately,
The Gold And Rule
For he who has it
Makes the rules
And always
-Always-
Do to others
BEFORE
They do unto you!

That’s the REAL secret, don’t you know-
How else to maintain the status quo?
“Use your sense!
Save your cents!
The only thing with persistence is-“

II

Just let me flip the sign,

There’s no need to be disturbed.



Now that you’re inside, Sir,

Please,

Please, have a seat-

Let me have a tiny peek

At what you need

What you seek

Inside your mind,

I won’t tell!



Privacy

Is guaranteed

For my clientele



If you gaze into the crystal here

Your wish shall then become

Crystal clear-

Just a joke, my dear customer

To lighten up your mood



Now tell me every fantasy;

Everything you wished to be;

All the wonders you want to see

Performed for you today!



Oh?

What’s this we have here?

What’s that pretty bauble there?

Is it your pretty lover fair

With emerald eyes and raven hair?

I can spin a dream from that-



Are you sure there’s nothing more?

Nothing exciting in that head of yours?

It’ll be your dream, after all

Why not look deeper in my crystal ball-

You’re already here, within my grasp,

Surely that’s not much to ask-

I only want to help!



Did you ever seek to be a king?

Or was being rich a flight of passing

Fancy in your thoughts?



Ah, well,

It’s your decision, after all

I’m just the lever that makes the pieces fall

Oh-so-neatly into place.



That’s a good lad,

Reconsider, all your wishes

Can be had-

I can make them real today!



With a wave of my hand

I can make it all yours!

That is, of course,

After we discuss my fee-

I’m afraid I don’t deal in money,

Nothing so droll,

So normal and dreary

Really appeals to me.



But what I want, dear boy,

Is simple enough, and can suffice

Just a teensy-weensy, small

Tiny bit of your life-



Come now, come now,

Don’t make that face

Like you’re abhorred;

You’re young and virile, with much in store!

I wouldn’t think of taking it first-

Nothing so ghastly, I’ll take the worst!



Just a few years off the very end

You won’t miss them at all, my friend-

Time from when you’re old and grey,

Your body past it’s glory days-

You won’t even notice, I promise.



Of course,

For a slightly steeper rate-

Forget the dreams! How ‘bout fate?



Live the rest of your life in luxury

In control of everything you see

And anything your heart desires

That sets your mind and soul a-fire

Can all be yours as well!



I see I hold your attention,

Did I perhaps, forget to mention

That little trinket of knowledge?



See right here,

The back of my card

Underneath the moon and stars-

It’s fine print, I know it’s hard

To read;

I do the occasional miracle on the side

Completely, 100% certified-

Or your money back. Guaranteed.

You can put your trust in me.

"Everything we're selling, they're buying it!
Pay-per-view, on demand, ******* they're buying it!
They want more? Hell, we're supplying it!
Ounce by ounce they're spoon-fed ****!
Eating it up, little they know,
It's all a Punch and Judy show!
With the man behind pulling the strings
Making his puppets all dance and sing-

What's that? Almost time?
Let me get my smile aligned!
**** the prompt, **** recording,
We'll do it live!
In 5
4
3
2...

Welcome again to the Daily News!
Boy, do we have some stories for you!
Growing crime rates and substance use,
SJWs, protests, and persecuted youths,
Government scandals and political abuse,
Just stay tuned, WE'VE got the TRUTH!
(We're here to bring the fear to you! )

They're at it again, terror overseas-
Stop! Wait! Don't eat that cheese!
Unless it's government supplied
It's full of diseases!
There's a recall on free range that does as it pleases.
Now, back to the war! And it's growing death toll
In those Middle East countries we've sought to control-
Did I say 'control?' I meant liberate!
We share our Dream and conglomerate,
Then they share their oil, ain't it great!?

And now, Tom with the Weather!"

"Today's forecast is hellfire rain,
Earthquakes, floods, a Cat. V hurricane!
You -could- go out if you don't mind the pain!
It's a good choice to stay in.
Between mudslides, fires, and UV rays,
You'd be better off watching us the rest of the day!"

"Thanks Tom! More things up next!
Upcoming brutality and civil unrest!
Just lean back, stay right in your chair;
Whatever you do, don't move from there!
Never know what you'll miss,
Your life's at stake!
We'll tell you how-
After this quick commercial break."

Today I watched a flower bloom
To greet the morning sun
Unfurling petals one by one
As the daylight softly comes

When in full-bloomed splendor
Its fragrance filled the air
Turned toward its lover’s light
Without another care

How pretty are its petals
Swaying in the breeze
Rejoicing in its life
With simple-minded ease

But, as all things surely pass,
Did daylight turn to dusk
I saw it curl upon itself
To hide within its husk

Are we like the flowers,
Turning toward love’s light?
Only again to hide away
In the dark and lonely night-

To await our sun’s return,
For dawn to grace the sky,
To feel the warmth of sunlight
From within our lover’s eyes?

Ah, now,
So you agree?
Outstanding!
What a pretty little web I'll weave
For you

Such a delectable morsel-
I mean, delightful mortal!
You turned out to be...

Just lay your head back,
Within my power-
Don't be daft, boy,
I clearly said 'parlor,'
I absolutely salivate to see
What you have in store for me.

Recline back upon my chair,
I'll soon have your soul laid bare!
I won't harm you,
Au contraire!
Your service is much too vital!

Please close your eyes, go to sleep,
My docile yearling, darling sheep,
Let me spin a wondrous dream
Wrought of gold, and finer things
Of court and castle, a fair young king-
It may take some time.

You're sure you want to change, then?
Third's the charm, so they say
Splendid! You've agreed again
Now you just rest, and I'll set to mend
Fancy and reality.
Fair warning-
You may feel a /slight/ pinch.
Pay no mind, trust me,
Trust me.

There now,
Out like a light!
Now I can get to work aright,
Trading Dream for Life.
I /did/ mention the higher fee?
Of course I did,
Silly me.

But being one to keep my word,
I'll start from the end,
And move on forward!
Being a gentleman, little lamb,
I'll leave you one year
And one day then.
A fitting trade, wouldn't you say,
For all you ever dreamed?

And now that I've received my pay,
It's time to send you on your way-
Wake up, wake up!
I'm all but done!
No sense in wasting a day, young one-
Your Highness, my Leige,
Go and enjoy your fantasy!

Don't forget to tell your friends
Who to come and see!

Another satisfied customer, alas,
Time to go,
I'm a very busy man, you know-
Other clients need to cut a deal,
And at my prices? Ha!
What a steal!

Like that lad!
Yes, you!
Come, young sir,
To me, to me
Would you like to buy a Dream?
Or perhaps, a Memory?

I often feel frac/
                           tured

As though I’ve
f
a
   l
     l
      e
        n
Between
           The
Cracks
          Of
Memory-

Like a broken bottle
Left
Forlornly in a wood,
Or
A faded,
Sun-bleached
Photograph;
Decaying
In an empty house-

When you’ve withdrawn
Upon,
within,
around
Yourself, so much
That even the dust stagnates-

How can you expect
Anyone
To intrude
Into that self-imposed solitude?
Especially,
If you,
Yourself,
Have no clue how to break it?

The bell has lost it’s clapper,
A mallet without a gong,
Tongueless  mouth gaping wide-
Emitting only a feeble moan,
Easily dismissed as the wind,
Whipping around the eaves,
and through the trees.

Do you kneel down to worship
At the altar of the flesh,
With your head betwixt her legs
And hand upon her breast?

Do you tithe and sacrament
In sweat and bone and blood
To annoint with sacred oils
The staff of holy wood?

Sensually sermon
Through parted, gasping lips
As the spirit moves within you
With rolling, thrusting hips

As the carnal choir
Cries out in ecstacy
Do you call his name above
And find your sweet release?

Black powder burns in a firework show
Protecting us all from the rest of the world
If you're not like us then you've got to go!
Or sway to our side, I'll tally the votes!
You know our reply, should your answer be no

America the Free; Restrictions apply-
A privilege to live, but a right to die
So long as you tithe Uncle Sam, eat up the lies,
Come drink the water, and look to the skies
So the light of our glory can burn out your eyes

Bow down the the televised, our Celebrity Gods
Their cabinet disciples extolling their flaws-
Nevermind the **** a-frothing their jaws!
If the cameras are rolling, it's all for the cause;
No such thing as bad press if it's drowned in applause!

Do you love your God, Guns, and Government?
(The Holy Trinity of Democracy)
Pray for the war and worship the bullet

Do you love your God, Guns, and Government?
(Protecting us all if we only believe)
Do as you're told, think as we tell it

Do you love your God, Guns, and Government?
(You're doing so well with your head in the sand!)
So well-informed from our media pulpit

Do you love your God, Guns, and Government?
(Don't mine the debris, we're building our brand!)
Scratching away at a fresh-treatised covenant

(I)        
   Love         Your
             (My)
God, Guns, and Government

Our Media Gods with their All-Knowing Eyes
Blinding our sight, pumping out lies
Snow-filled screen set to hypnotize-
Keeping us mesmerized
By the pretty colors all flying by

Feeding us **** in saccharine splendor
With its paper tiger prophets
And consumer agenda
Flaccid talk shows and 'Reality' TV-
They're only showing what they want us to see

Sensationalism sells!
And they gotta push pills!
Trying to 'cure', or ****, or frighten away
Any desire to go out and play-
And why bother? It's safer inside,
They tell us it's true!
Now don't go anywhere, it's time for the News...

Another six-pack in,
Another bottle down,
Just leave me alone
And let me drown
             Let me drown
                   Let me drown...

You always were a work of art,
Cast in flesh and broken hearts;
Draped in skin of not your own,
Stretched tautly over groaning bone

My beautiful monster, can't you see?
'Twas I made thee, unselfishly-
Yet still, from me, you turn away
And squint against harsh light of day

Sewn and stitched, with love, together
None shall ever know you better-
Each hair, each line, I put it there!
With gentle hand and tender care

Alas, you'll never utter word-
A reflection's voice is never heard.

There are times the wolves are silent,
And only the moon howls;
The creeping night the only thing
That in the darkness, growls.

The trees whisper 'twixt themselves
As the wind softly moans,
And houses shift and grumble,
Settling on their bones.

Shadows dart about and play
As we lull ourselves to sleep,
Praying for the feeble light
To keep us within reach.

Am I my brother's keeper
When he's lying in the field?
Though my hands are clean, now,
Still with blood they're stained

Do I defend my sister's virtue
Even in the marriage bed?
When all is said and done
And the sheets are turning red-

Must I console my son
When he's ripe for sacrifice-
Bound upon the altar
Under a cruel and hungry knife?

Dare I keep my father's vigil
When he's nailed upon the cross-
Dying for the ******
And shepherding the lost?

Do I question G-d Almighty
About his master plan?
Or just do as I am told
Head buried in the sand?

I have begun to live in real life,
As opposed to fantasy-
Dreams are very well and nice,
But don’t pay bills, you see?

So I’ll hide myself in work,
And drink to dull the mind-
Should anyone ask what’s wrong,
With a hap-hap-happy smile on,
I’ll simply say “I’m fine.”

God is great, God provides
Food, shelter, warmth, and life
With faith in God, accomplish all
Without God, you'll surely fall

Always watching, always there,
In your pocket or market shares
God is great, God is green
God is the plastic card
Slipping in the machine
On every bill
And coin
And dollar $ign
In every voice chanting
"Mine! Mine! Mine!"

If present everywhere,
How can it be wrong?
'In God We Trust!'
Hail Mammon.

In terms of skin, mine never fit,
A bit too tight, a bit too thin
And a never really fitting in-
And here I am, stopped to sit
And ponder perhaps the whys of it-
Destined for something else?
I don't know, it all fails-
Only wanting to be content
Instead of being in contempt
Of this life I now lead

This petal says he loves me,

And I’m as happy as can be-

All the love I’ve been searching for

Is right in front of me


This one says he loves me not-

I guess that’s plain to see

From the way he up and left

Without a word to me


Plucking petals off a rose

And bleeding from its thorns

We may play at being angels,

Yet each still have our horns


This petal says he loves me,

Of that I had no doubt;

But this one says he loves me not,

Or, it seems to have run out


I wonder if the flower knows

Or ever wonders why

I’m picking all its petals off

With ever-heavy sighs


Searching for an answer

I don’t really want to find

When all along I’ve known the truth

Deep within my mind


And yet I’ll pluck a dozen more

To find the answer that I’ve sought

Of whether he still loves me,

Or truly loves me not

We used to stroll down by the sea,
Hand in hand, just you and me
To gather shells in warm sunlight,
Count the stars on the bay at night,
Build sandcastles, and fish until the dark
Never I thought our ways would part

But those days are far and gone,
There's no more walking in the sun
We're neither who we used to be,
I doubt you still remember me
Or memory from time long past
You forget, but still I ask-

Dear Grandmother, let me help you now
When your golden years have gone and let you down
Stole your mind and made you frail,
But I still love you, can't you tell?
I'll wipe your chin and cut your food,
Just as for me, you used to do-
Please let me help you

I remember the strength in calloused hands,
Somehow turn to velvet in a touch
Inspecting some new scrape or cut
I always got, from playing too rough
You'd get me back up on my feet,
Bandage me up, and pat my cheek
Send me on my way again

Dear Grandfather, let me help you now
When your golden years have gone and let you down
Button your shirt, and comb your hair,
You did for me, now fair is fair,
I just want to be there-
Please let me help you

Your hands now tremble, and may not be as strong
Move a little slower, but still get right along
You cared for me, these long and many years
Let me be there now,
For all the love and tears we've shared

What kind of man would I be
If I couldn't help the ones
Who've done so much for me?