I went down to the St. Francis Memorial
A morgue built over broken hearts
I found a rose and I pinned it to my clothes
As I tore my family apart

Let me go, let me go in peace
Let me rest without any pain
I don't want to be praised or spiritually saved
I just want my memory to remain

Send me home, send me home dear mother
Wherever it is that you may be
And in the evening sun when the day is done
Please don't shed a tear for me

As I walk along St. Francis Memorial
Looking at the name on every stone
Nothing hurts worse than the sight of a hearse
Driving through the tombstones alone

I'm tired of being dramatic
Words don't always flow
Poetry isn't right over what else is wrong
Cry some more
That will help
Whine a lot
Like we all do
**** trying to sound perfect
Life doesn't rhyme
Life has ups and downs
Life *****
And then it gets good
And then it ***** again
Deal with it
Stop crying

There's a chill in the air and wind 'neath your boots
There's clouds in the sky and trees with roots
If all were to fall onto your crying head,
Would you carry it home or lie down dead?
The strength you have defines your choice
Will you whimper and cry or show your voice?
Through sorrow and pain and happiness and joy
You either run and hide from all those you employ
Or show them what you're made of inside
For what you do becomes who you have to hide
Not what you say with fury or a gentle tone
But the actions you take when you're all alone
When you're down and out, almost recluse
And you feel as if you have no use
If you still get up and challenge yourself
You will become prisoner to no one else

There's a song in the air and dirt 'neath your boots
A song that carries on down to your roots
Back from the days of no chores or worry
When nothing was done in any sort of hurry
You can hear these words in the back of your mind
And it takes you back to a simpler time
These little moments, spontaneous and surreal
Show you how you can always feel
Feel good and joyous even through the worst
When tired and hungry, they give you thirst
These little moments are found throughout life
They can break you free from worldly strife
And these things define who you were before
And change who you are to forever something more
Harkening back to when you were innocent and clean
Can make you try your best to better your scene

Your moments in life are yours to keep
When daydreaming or your lost in sleep
The worst will come and so will the best
The dark before the dawn always sets to the west
You can succumb to the pain that comes with years
Or you can fight back the stress and fight back the tears
Through everything that comes your way
Only you can change how you live out your stay
Others will come and others will leave
But what holds together is what you believe
Strength is within and without you
Within is taken while without is beside you
Hold onto a grain of meaningless sand
And notice how it's light in your hand
Just for that moment it's harmless and vain
But if you hold on forever it builds into pain

I'm not a smart man
Which is good
Because love is stupid

It takes a lot to be level-headed
When I see where we're headed
I think of everything and I just want to sing
Would you like to take a drive with me?
And stay alive with me

I know I probably shouldn't tell you
But I'm contemplating Bellevue
Maybe West Louisiana or eastern Havana
Doesn't matter much to me
Just stay alive with me
And take a drive with me

I know that I'm merely 22
But I'm gonna be dying soon
And I don't want to regret things I haven't conquered yet
So would you take a drive with me?
And be a prize with me?

I can't tell you where we're going
Because I have no way of knowing
Just be the DJ for me and sing before you speak
And take a drive with me
To stay alive with me

As the dance resumed
And your button's down
In the cloud of perfume
She can be found
I know you're impressed
By the way she sways
Give her your best
And maybe someday,

You'll find yourself
Walking through her front door
Just like myself
And many like you before
Do you see that photograph,
Hanging by her balcony?
If you look closely
You'll see that it's me

The night is long when you're happy
It's even longer when you're sad
But I'll be here with a shoulder and an ear
And a voice to say it won't always be this bad
So listen to the cruel and the sappy
See the beauty in the good and the bad
If you always turn to those who have learned
They will be the ones to bring you back

Times get hard, don't they?
They always get good again someday  
But I'd go through all of it with you if I could
In the end, my friend, that's what makes it good

How's it feel to truly be living?
A fully fleshed out human-being
Fight, ****, go far, always be who you are
You are the greatest you I've ever seen
You don't always have to do the giving
But don't ever treat somebody mean
Always be kind, leave the unkind behind
Smile wide, dance, have ***** dreams

Times get hard, don't they?
They always get good again someday  
But I'd go through all of it with you if I could
In the end, my friend, that's what makes it good

So when does the screen become my friend?
In the end, I'll send my heaven around the bend
For it to never come back again
And just as heaven is all pretend
So is this thing I call my friend

Back down, dear Preacher, from the children on high
It must be where the good go when they die
So why do we even try,
When forgiveness tastes like wine
Why not drink from 9 to 5?

So when does oral become the tradition of love?
I've heard it's only for those who like it rough
But god says it's too much
When even she hates to touch
The hands that call every bluff

The birth of a nation sounds like the fire from a gun
Bend down, you peasants, and kiss my golden sun
If I promise one to everyone
Then how would I buy kingdom come?
It will be fake for you but my money won

So when do I get to watch my life from the golden shore?
Can I skip over my family and just get channel 4?
That's when I found heaven in a *****
Some quiet dancer on the hardwood floor
Why is it still dark, when will there be more?

There's gods all around that pound you
While the men in high heels surround you
How much longer 'til they've found you?
Suzy, do you know what you've done?

She had her ways of seduction
A femme fatale if there ever was one
A high class killer and a smart one
But everyone fails once or twice

You spent the night in the hacienda
Curled up on the white veranda
To kingdom come they'd like to send ya
Suzy, do you know you're on your own?

The sun will rise tomorrow
Do you need some time to borrow?
Listen to the morning swallow
You've got to come up with something quick

How does it feel to be a rebel?
To wake up dead next to the devil?
You've got one more deal left to settle
Suzy, I hope your aim is good

Is that smoke in the distance?
Is it a campfire or an instance?
Is there anyone out here to witness,
Whatever Suzy has up her sleeve?

The gun that she carries
Belongs to the man she married
And tonight, along this lonesome prairie
Suzy will meet him once more

Slept in and saw the moon fall asleep
Dead motor rising underneath my ***** sheets
Camped out for days to see a love of mine
But she met a man, now I'm trying to **** some time
I feel like a ghost on highway 5

Caught dead with my spirit in my hand
Claim your prize when I help you understand
You think of love but I think of fun and games
Regrettable nights with moon howled names
I feel like a ghost in your brain

Burnt out exhausted with roads in my eyes
Fought for once but now I'm despised
I want to drive until my engine starts to rust
Until the memories I had turn to ******* dust
I feel like the ghost of teenage lust

Improper sayings that sting under the skin
Emotions like to implode you from within
Have you seen my head, all lit up with desire?
But you were the one to light it on fire
I feel like a ghost too dead to be tired

The sun sets on dripping blood
Shed for love
And brought out from a gun
Elizabeth is close to death
Drawing final breaths
She was so fine and so young

Pedro runs across the barroom floor
Bursting through the door
On his way to the border by the sea
His hand is still hot from rage
There's nothing left to save
All he can do is flee

Now that heaven can finally breathe
Resting on the sea
While Pedro hides away from law
Elizabeth wore Pedro's golden ring
Along a silver string
Yet she moaned among the farmer's straw

Pedro shed the lonely tears
Of a love lost in years
He made a promise that he kept
As he read aloud the vows she wrote
With the heart she broke
The sun set as he wept

Have you seen the target on my back?
Painted in red and black
Does it matter what you say
If you're a thousand miles away,
From this place
Where freedom rings louder than the hate it brings
Do you ever think about these things?

There's a line you can't cross
Even if it gets you off
Stand broken by the road
Where a lonesome river flows
And a wall grows
Signs that read "Leave your things,
And the songs you sing"
Do you ever think about these things?

I've seen the pages of God
Sweet Jesus and Allah
Whatever pages you may read
I don't care what you believe
We all bleed
We all need the little things
Do you ever think about these things?

The sweet summer sun shines on me
On a quiet bench in the city park
With my guitar and a softened voice
I write a song about a broken heart
And the way home is lit with sunglass eyes
Reflecting back the summer day
All I see is good and bad
Without much else to do or say

Steam rises from a lakefront balcony
And some react to an inside joke
Some days are meant for misery
But today is meant for calm and hope
And my way home is like a picture frame
With kisses on suntanned cheeks
All I hear is my mother's song  
On a day when the air is sweet  

A patron sells his portrait piece
But he'll paint you for a fee
With a bigger nose and bigger smile
That you can hang up for all to see
And my way home is smooth and still
Like an easy feeling country song
All I know is I am who I am
And you can always ride along

Put your thoughts in a magic box
Press return and set them off
Do not expect them to be revised
Or to be read like they were in your mind
And when double vision comes into your eyes
Don't cry
They all just want to watch you die

The highest minds are on the bottom line
Running across your screen into the divine
Sweat drips onto the microphone
As the talking heads say you're not alone
For every point of view has its place to crawl to
Just like you
We all want love and nothing new

I wish I could meet my conscience then
When it was as clean as the state I'm in
And for every moment I've been alive
It fills up more with truth and lies
The Wings of the West fly high over the horsemen sky
And wave goodbye
To what we've built since we arrived

I've had enough to drink, I guess
But I might as well finish the rest
Will you follow me here?
It may be dark but it's oh so clear

It's a mighty fine day outside
So I should stay inside
Watch the lights beat on my window
And imagine how the wind blows

Come one, come all, come dancing
Someone out there is laughing
Is it at me? I can't see
I shouldn't have left my seat

Must everything be so perfect?
If so, then nothing is worth it
I like imperfections, expands my selection
There's no flawless affection

I woke up to a country song
Mother's favorite song to sing  
And when the mailman came down the road so long
She cried out "Let freedom ring"

My sweetheart grabbed my arm
And she told me she wouldn't let go
But when the mailman handed me a bullet-storm
I told them I had to go

I left home a week from then
Still too nervous to even think
I wondered if I would die and never see them again
But I drowned it all in a thousand drinks

I killed my first man on a Monday
And by Tuesday it was up to nine
I had my thoughts but I had nothing to say
They told me their lives were mine

I got shot in the chest
And I saw the end of the road
But as I stared through blood to the sunset west
I heard the choir bells explode

I came home somebody else
I knew they wouldn't recognize me
But I stayed kind and tried to keep to myself
And my sweetheart stayed with me

She's still here with me
And now we're both at the end of the road
When I close my eyes, I still see misery
But when I open them, I am home

Tomorrow will be the same
Except that I'll either be alone
Or I'll have you

I barely know a lie when I say it out loud
Like a simple "I'm feeling fine" as I'm freaking out
Have you seen the faces climbing up the walls?
I'm so tired
I'm ******* wired
Control me a little because I've got none at all

I fell in love but I was too anxious for my own good
Sometimes it's rough always being misunderstood
Like the feeling I get when I look to the west
And all I see
Is them leaving me
But everyone tells me that it's for the best

I boarded up the windows expecting a storm
But I heard the wind blows only when it's warm
I'm feeling a little crazy, maybe a little overreaction
Insecurity
Will be the death of me
Just please don't look at me while laughing

Some say that you're always stronger than you think
But I don't feel too strong as I take another drink
Then it hits me that I'm the only one who knows
Who I am
And that I can,
Create a world with my hands

Don't be late, just stand and wait
Time will pass and so will fate
Your eyes are clean and your back is strong
But that'll be gone before too long
I don't know if I've got much time
But what I've got is only mine

**** my friends, Doctor Strange
With your pad and pen that makes us deranged
I've been told a story or two
But the scariest ones are all about you
Come with me into my home
I like my space but hate being alone

Stand and deliver what makes you quiver
As you shiver beside the Mississippi River
Call your dreams and make them scream
You need to learn how to work as a team
Smoke my eyes and punch a cigar
And with that, I've gone too far

I've got too much privilege
Can we tear my people down?
Let us build a village
And live off the ground
And speak of myth and death
Around the smoke of our breath

I can't imagine
The pain my people cause
Like a 10-ton Gatling gun
And every bullet counts for loss
Where was I when we killed them all
Someday, we're bound to fall

I wish I could say sorry
For the color of my skin
And that I wish I could change
The state things are in
I wouldn't mind if you wanted to **** me
For all the years of misery

I've got love within me
But moving pictures tell the truth
We need a new beginning
Peace is in its youth
Living for each other
Can only come from one another

Flashing light paranoia
Insecure and dark
Dressed to hide a wounded heart
As she implores ya to make a start
Like a vampire with skinny teeth
Making love under painful art
What does she see when she looks at me?
Does she want to tear it apart?

Coming from the mountaintops
Are voices singing out
If only I could hear what they sang about
I'm counting on a soulful shout
She makes her way across the floor
Still unsure of what she's without
But when she reaches out for something
She receives a little doubt

Never mind the lights
Never mind what they hide
The song will say it's what's inside
It's alright to be shy
But when the time comes for showing up
Saying hello and not goodbye
I hope you know that rejection hurts
But regret will watch you die

My heart is breaking
The earth is shaking
But I'm gonna be just fine
If you find me cryin'
As long as I ain't dyin'
Put your hand on my shoulder, I'm gonna be just fine

My soul is searching
My mind is working
Looking for someone else
I've been a liar
I've been an honest man
But I'm tired of trying to please myself

I'm still fighting
For an angel sighting
But I keep looking down
My shoes ain't talking
They just do the walking
Towards the woman I need to keep around

She came down from a mountain
Higher than the valley she's been in
She broke down like an engine
On a highway towards forever once again

She says "I don't know where my life is going", but
Baby, nobody knows
Just take a breath and do what you've been doing
True angels wear everyday clothes

She lives inside the mind of a mercenary
Staring down the barrel of a gun
She's tired of the weight they ask her to carry
And her back has been broken for so long

There's choirs that will sing of her memory
Like a fallen queen with silver in her hair
As the flowers bloom and God starts descending
To touch her hand and take her anywhere

She says "I don't know where my life is going, but
Baby, nobody knows
Just take a breath and do what you've been doing
True angels wear everyday clothes

I got my philosophies ready to go
And all I want is for you to know
Let me tell you what's wrong with you
And why you need to change the things you do

What is that you've got in your mouth?
I thought we left those ideals in the south
A perfect platter tastes so natural
And perfect laughter sounds so beautiful

I'll meet you in uptown, baby
The place downtown goes crazy

You made a joke without warning me
You need to know that you offended me
I hope you're happy, you Neanderthal
Hopped up on commercialism and Adderall  

Do you wanna know what my talent is?
It's telling you how the end begins
I'm not a prophet, I don't believe in one
But you're gonna pray to me when I'm done

You're just a ****** victim
But you can't convict him
For breaking a heart that was untrue
When you were silent then
He never came back again
And all he ever blamed was you

It seems you're the bleeding heart
That he tore apart
But you found your way to another
And when it's all said and done
You are the only one
Crying over a departed lover

I'm not good at taking it slow
But I hope you know
Waiting isn't something I do well
But I'll wait for you, Annabelle

So many years since the day
I heard you say
"It's not time for us just yet"
And never did I once forget
That you were out there as well
As I waited for you, Annabelle

Time goes on and so it did
Just like you said
"It's not now or never"
But I said I'd wait forever
In all the time between heaven and hell
I'll wait for you, Annabelle

It's not easy for me to stand
As he takes your hand
But as long as he treats you well
I'll wait for you, Annabelle

Six strings fell from his fingers behind the Café Miel
He sang French ballads and smoked by the church bell
The gospel choir left and gave him a penny each
Each one a blessing towards redemption out of reach
The coffee-drinking couple kissed and passed him by
Both gave a look but neither looked him in the eye

He slept on rocks and was kept warm by the news
He dreamt of silk and of oceans painted blue
He begged for life and thought entirely of death
He gave his soul to love and music was his breath
He searched for purpose until the final day of rest
He was buried by the wind that carries his songs to the West

It's not like it's gone / it doesn't disappear
I catch your name in the voices that I hear
Passion and love speak but don't understand
That neither of them go hand in hand

I've had a lot / to tell you about
You cannot hear me if I would whisper or shout
The silence is here / it follows me home
I wonder, my dear, if you are alone
If I were to come and be there with you,
Would we do what we always do?

I promised my heart / I gave you my mind
I was nervous to see what you'd find
I haven't changed / my mind's still the same
It still carries the weight of your name

I'm a lying, cheating loser
With a gun pointed at my head
I still remember everything you said
Maybe I'll be worth more to you when I'm dead

There's a summer sunset I haven't seen
And it's haunting my dreams
The daylight breathes and blows away
The scent of you and everything you'll say

I can still hear the words
But I'm still unsure
If you really meant them
And why I resent them

Daylight, dead of night, any time
The thoughts don't stop in my mind
I think and talk about it too much
Everyone around me has heard enough

It's hard to breathe
When nothing's well
When time is gone, who will tell,
That all is well
In the end?
Know that I'll be back again

It's hard to stay
Awake some days
All will pass, like wind through grass
Like love and life
Like day and night
Know that I'll be by your side

It's hard to know
What will be
Close your eyes but don't turn away
It's hard, I know
When strength starts to go
Know that I'll be strong for you

When the morning doesn't breathe
In the cold winter air
How does it feel to need somebody there?
You could probably hear them if it wasn't for the frost
But their words are frozen, desperately lost

How does it feel right now
To be awake in the dark?
How does it feel to be lost in your heart?
Take a look inside, I hope you find what really burns
Like the sound of a name, more than just a word

How do those dreams feel
When the wake you up?
They're like a movie reel that shakes you up
If everything at once starts to swirl and collide
Then what's important will live when what's pointless has died

White water dreaming
Behind pale velvet curtains
I sing the same song to you
Sweet summer steaming
As the wind was swirling
Your hair and your tune

Songs from the masters
Of love and laughter
Sung as the record spins 'round
I get lost in the chatter
Of what really matters
It's that I have you around

The types not romantic
Are the types that I meet
Like a lost wanderer in a storm
Before I get frantic
And cry in the street
I've got you to keep me warm

Cool, comfortable breathing
Beside the fire
Silent and perfect and still
I'm barely believing
Of you I will tire
If you want me to, I will

Every now and then I gotta sweep the floor
Carry out requests like a common *****
But I do it / I'm pushing through it
It's who I am

They tell me not to listen to the men in suits
But after the sermon they lie to you
I'm not easy / you'd best believe me
It's who I am

I've gotta find a woman or at least a man
Love is only accepted if you've got a plan
I'm indecisive / it's the way I live
It's who I am

Maybe when you're wealthy we'll become friends
Because money's never caused a connection to end
But can I borrow / a few tomorrows?
It's who I am

I drive to wherever the world ends
I doubt I'll ever see any of you again
But I love you / I'm thinking of you
It's who I am

I fell asleep on a runaway train
Trying not to go insane, oh no
I felt alive but couldn't decide
If I wanted to live or die
Or spend another night / without you

I boarded as the sun went down
And there was no one else around, oh no
I slept against the windowpane
Hearing dreams and the falling rain
As I ride towards nowhere, without you

The endless fields go on and on
Like the pain when you said so long, oh no
I held in my weary hand
The letters of a lost romance
The words all seem empty, without you

As the sun rose in the East
From my dreams I've been released, oh no
The rhythm of the railway car
Makes me wonder where you are
And if I'll be alright, without you

It's like a diamond stake pushed through the silence of my brain
It's like a thunder of voices coming down like a hurricane
It's like a forest of gunfire blowing past my bedroom door
It's like the force of a god pushing down on my floor

Whip smart, by all accounts, but lost beneath the sheets
Forced out of a comfort zone and pushed out to the streets
Spastic changing voices like a record out of line
Just speak like you always do and don't **** with my mind

I'm like a tidal wave that only gets halfway there
No shore to erode with no Taiwan to even care
I'm like a promise left on the kitchen table after dawn
Someone will find it but it will be thrown out on the lawn

Born without a spoon but there is silver in my teeth
I'm made out of as much spirit as a plastic, clearance wreath
Dust beneath the stars cancels out the dawning sun
Shine on the bums, the prophets, everyone

Is there a version of yourself I can steal?
Speak your language so I know that it's real
Tell me now, is this how you feel?
You angel, you

I am content with the way that we are
Friends can sometimes take things too far
But you are my one shining star
You angel, you

I feel the glow of your ebony hair
Dancing in the sweet summer air
Waving and gracing my true lover's stare
You angel, you

Feel the rumble rhythms start to play
Feel me close as we start to sway
I don't want to throw heaven away  
You angel, you

I can say I'm sorry
But the truth is that I'm not
When things get dark and starry
You think about what you've got
I've got a lot to love
And a lot left to do
But I've had enough
I just fell out of love with you

When it all got started
I was happy and I was sure
But things fall apart
Things fluctuate and blur
I don't have a reason
And I don't have to explain
I can try to help you
But I don't care about the pain

Have you seen me since?
In a dream or on the street?
And by coincidence
You found someone to meet
I hope it's all good for now
Maybe you'll hate me less and less
And you'll understand somehow
How I avoided a bigger mess

Your body's in the cold
But your heart's in L.A.
You say you love me
That doesn't mean you'll stay
You hate the weather
And you hate me too
When we're together
There's only one thing to do

I think I like your distaste
With the things I say
When you roll your eyes
And walk away
I don't like myself
So why should you?
As long as you let me
Do what I have to do

You don't love much more
Than your pretty self
Except for when you're around
Anyone else
I can't stand you much
But that's okay
When you feel my touch
Get on your knees and pray