I know you’re scared
You’re not the only one that feels that way
I don’t want to make life hard for you
But leaving me before we meet is easier for you

It’s as if being lonely is a hobby
You paint slogans on walls that I can’t see
I was hoping to see your green eyes looking at me
But you only chose the caution of yellow lines

Yellow lines
Don't cross them
That's what you said
That's why I left
Because they were really red

I see so much in you
Go ahead blame me for everything he did to you
If that’s how it has to be then I’m willing
I can take anything you want to say

I had to laugh about a hello that was a goodbye
Living life is not something that brings us closer
It seems when I knew nothing I had everything
Now I have to wonder if you ever did

Yellow lines
Don't cross them
That's what you said
That's why I left
Because they were really red

It wasn’t just your pictures
It’s the desperation I had just to kiss you
I couldn’t think
I couldn’t sleep
I couldn’t wait until you told me it was true

I remember everything
The time they told us we seemed so happy
They could see it
We could feel it
I wanted to hear you say you believed in me

There was nothing to fear
Except what everyone else thought
We couldn’t be what they wanted
It was as if we remembered what they forgot

For once I knew what was right
I wanted you to smile at me whenever we met
I knew it
You were it
It was a time to dream of someone without regret

There was nothing to fear
Except for how easy love seemed to be
We couldn’t think past our last kiss
It was the only time we knew how to be free

it’s a way to live
relationship instead of ambition
the making of cherished memories
no time lived for waste
no life lived for time

it seems we live to avoid a cold shower
or heat, the type the world knew long ago
we do not walk upon glass except by choice

at least not those of us with parents who knew how to love

what is true insanity except harm to yourself
and those you love
but is it so much to reject the rituals of life
rituals intended to save us from living like savages
but instead we play a hand  from the wrong deck

everything you need to know about me is in an envelope
at least everything that proves I was here anyway
the rest of it resides in the memory of those who care
i am alive as long as they are
that is why i love them so much
for it is them who keeps me alive

who would need to travel to know people are the same
or speak ten languages
there is enough pain in my own heart to know
why do we believe the message
when every conversation speaks the opposite?

i wonder if people treat each other the way we judge them
that is why I do not judge my children
for they are not to live as criminals
or inferiors

we take drugs to escape reality
but true reality is like a drug,
when death is easy
and life is cheap
there is no purpose to reason

by the right i have to say such things
what is beauty in the night sky
is only the reflection of what i see in you
for what inanimate object that awaits my eyes
could ever know you like I do?

that’s why i look so hard at the night sky
it knows where you are and guides your light to me

How many tears have been eaten
Sweet tears
The sugar of her toils
How many memories have been discarded
Bitter memories
Of a time she lived without love
How many beautiful eyes have been closed
Taking with us their souls
Because we could not leave our own behind
How many times have I cried alone
She knew how to say no
But not when I begged her to

Context is understanding why they did it
Without it emotion is like a shell abandoned by the ocean
Contrast reveals our differences though the water feels the same
Someone noticed my palms
I said how much I sweat depends on the distance between us

A whisper is sweet music like a match that lights easily
But passion is how we know if they are honest
You were once a star that fell from the sky long ago
You finally learned to swim
But the ocean walked away when you weren’t looking

I asked you a question and you asked me why
I said I wanted to touch a white canvas with a brush
But I had to dip the tip into the paint first
You smiled at my hesitance
But someone who lives by the tide is always ready to leave

What if you took everything you ever said
and piled it in a corner?
Would the words fall apart and become
aimless letters strewn all about?
Would they remember if they were happy,
sad, loud or soft?
Or will they just lay there waiting for your
imagination to sprout?

Will you sit and watch for them to begin a
new life without a past?
Will you lay among them knowing they will
wait for you to choose?
Will you begin to reconstruct your life with
the loves you failed to notice?
Will you say the things you were unable
because you have nothing to lose?

Nothing you say will change what was said
thirty years ago when you were so sure
But the pride of yourself remains, stripped
of what you thought you once were
You have the chance to look at each letter
closely, remembering it’s place
What shape or form could possibly come to
mind that would change her?

Maybe each letter should spend a day alone
with a memory that you tried to forget
And informed of who you were and what you
failed to do they whisper as you sleep
Yes it happened as you remember and we know
why you cannot release yourself
And now that we know what to do let us return
all the words over which you weep

My shadow painted the room with your memory
I wanted to see it when I turned the lights on
Nobody would know you were there except me
It always made me think maybe you weren’t gone

I can’t think of you in the darkness that still remembers
I need to see the shapes the way they changed every day
You tried to hide around each corner, still I found you
Standing between light and fantasy was the only way

What hurts so much except love cast before you?
Red yellow or orange is all the same to me
But blue and black seem to know best what to do
I don't miss my shadow, just the things I can no longer see

At least once, I wanted to know
it seems everything I touch
or see
Is a beautiful sunset,
a moment to treasure
or a revelation of the choice I must make,
to pretend I am free,
because what is free without industriousness;
could it be only the fantasy of the young;
those who once thought of changing the world,
who never believed that time would change them;
bending them towards reality
for who would care for them as they reject convention
and what is convention if not a way to survive?
is there the reflection of fire in our champagne
is there the cloud waiting at the bottom of the ocean
each drifting, an image or unseen, but real
we forget our past and drink to the future,
or we remember the times we loved,
and wonder if it could ever happen again;
or instead must I choose to accept that I am not free
I have a role in life, a cloud to provide water,
a root to feed the wood; a leaf to cool the ground;
the grass to feed the fauna;
a hind-quarter to feed a family; a child to grow;
a book to teach; a thought to decide;
to decide if I am free
living on my own
apart from the world that was built by others
to reject it because I believe it is wrong
to think that I don’t need them
or it
to wander before canyons
and peaks
to live off the land
and to pass without asking for help;
is that my freedom
or is it just my desire to play freedom,
until I realize that the world does not care for me
and then what;
what did I build for my life
for my children, if I would have them;
for my aging body
will I laugh at convention then
when I am no longer able to invent my own language
because those who follow are inventing their own
and making the same choice
to pretend to be free
or to begin digging the same hole that swallowed me whole

"... as her sister was dying she said, 'all I can think of is that Jesus died because he was good and that must be why this is happening to her'..."

Crying as others mock him in deaths throes
Weeping while others divide his ragged clothes

They dared not blink even once
Would it be the last time they would ever see?
They could not understand
How could this be?
Who would **** the son of man?

Yet they did not deny him as the **** had already crowed
The soldiers scowled that anyone could be so bold
But what they didn’t know
Was that a thousand years would pass
And they would lay at the foot of a bed
Remembering the tears that would forever last

For who was good gave them life
And who is good is praying for life
It was all they could see
But this time they blinked away
The tears that would never let them be
For they knew that those who would believe
On earth may one day grieve
But in heaven God's promise they will receive

My heart is not broken
It is only in pieces that have learned to live apart

It was a choice of survival
Evolving
Floating
Connected by the same body of water

Though unsacred, shared experience records the nobility of freeing oneself to become every moment of your life

North is happy
South is sad
East is angry
West is glad

A mission trip to the four corners of future dreams

Armed with diverse darkened hopes sailing beyond each horizon but touched by the same sea

My heart is not broken
But it will converge one day

Washed ashore upon understanding lands made whole by the hopes of others who decided their journeys no longer could hide them from dreams that are ready to awaken

You noticed before you knew
But nobody told you what to say
What your eyes saw in them
Is not what you see today

But you made your choice
And wanted them your way
Now the end seems near
Why do you want them to stay?

All those years
Who was right
Who was wrong
Both of you forgot
It was so complicated
Now you have to decide
Can you be what it is that you’re not

You can’t stop a river
Unless you build a dam
But their words still ring true
“The currents will is who I am”

Did you ever know a time to be free?
You built a life but the hurt still lasts
We regret our mistakes and try not to look back
But life doesn’t grow in ways that buries the past

All those years
Who was right
Who was wrong
Both of you forgot
It was so complicated
Now you have to decide
Can you be what it is that you’re not

He woke up like he was in a police lineup
Almost flunking out never became a regret
The library wasn’t exactly where they met
The people he knew are still his friends
The ones that are gone he’ll never forget

He smoked a few packs every ten years
But he didn’t really smoke you know
It was easy to quit ‘cause it was all for show
Not being paid for acting never mattered
A friend is being planted in the same row

He thanked Jesus enough to be noticed
He never felt worthy enough to pray
Who asks for what they can’t give away
It’s hard being an artist with limits
So he said the hurt will never play

He didn’t want anyone to take care of him
It was hard because he kept his own mind
He was going to learn on his own time
She told him he didn’t want a family
He said he already left his mom behind

But one day he noticed his children
That was the reason for living now
That old prayer was telling him how
He still dreamed of long flowing hair
But it’s love that his life won’t allow

I can’t say that I’ve paid any dues
I had a doctor once give me bad news
It didn’t put my life into a death bed
There was nothing except fear in my head

Let’s pretend I’m drunk and confident
Even though I’m not
You said all I had to do was ask
Why would desire make me wait
There had to be a reason for it
Maybe that’s why you’re always late

I don’t have a palette full of pretension
All I'll remember is the money I spent
I can only swallow the plans of tomorrow
I can only paint all of my mistakes
I saved a spot in the middle of a canvas
Drank cheap wine and painted your sorrow

Am I tempting God without a prayer
Am I so fatalistic that I don’t even care
I heard someone tell me it was God's will
It was as if life had no meaning or thrill

Let’s pretend I’m sober and shy
Even though I’m not
I told you why I could live without you
It’s too easy when you feel free
There had to be a reason for it
Maybe that’s why a sunset is all I can see

Just tell me what you want
Tear my head off so you can see my heart
But do you know who I'm talking to?
It’s there ready for your hands to pull it out
But you’ve been bloodied enough
So I have to be the one to hand it to you

do not want
what a possession
is
to another

beyond
comfort
what else is there

do not want
but for need

what could we want
that is possessed
by
another

for what you possess
is not for sale
it is only to discover

if you will only look

I don't care how beautiful you are
If you don't use your mind then you're ****
You'll always just be the man you married

you took the pill
and main street
became the bottom of the ocean
red lights at a corner
paint or blood?
is this love baby
huh
don't ask
the hair on you arms
braiding the wind
while she tells you
huh
baby
it is
it is what?
what you asked
i'm not a red light
do it
do it
don't worry about my mother
i'm not
your smile
your hands
soft
you
music
jazz
tone
smooth
the sun
the moon
nature
soothe
love
close
touch
desperation
******
don't speak
i understand
tell me later
or just smile again
wait
who's driving this limo
and how did these fish get in here
the bubbles died before i did
who said anything about bubbles
shut up
what happened to my shoes
eyes on my shirt
all the better to see you with
it's not my baby
ok it is
it's was me anyway
that sofa was god
i'm still going to wear my hat
did you have any interest in my  hair
who was she
i'm up still
i'm not going to say no
but let me make sure you're not a snake
or wait
snakes only talk to women
maybe that was too bold a thing to say
i'm no longer drowning
looking up
i'm fazed
no mirrors
layers of water
even heat
let me cool myself off
butterfly wings
monarchs
thousands
but they can't swim
dreams will do that
confusion
i'll sort it out when i wake up
who are you anyway
you're beautiful
did you do that to me
or was it just the pill?

The common thread,
braided by life,
pain,
suffering,
joy
and love
binds us together as humans;
our differences make it America

There are so many things,
so many things we don’t know;
they weren’t written in a book;
they're not from long ago

There are so many things
we do when we’re alone;
it’s in the life of a man
to be honest in his home

There are so many things
that we shouldn’t say,
but sometimes our words
are the dreams they pray

There are so many things
that we should do;
start by being honest,
end by being true

There are so many things
that come back around;
if you don’t believe,
you’ll never be found

There are so many things
that make us quit;
but if you keep trying
you will know your spirit

There are so many things
that we all do
Is it just me?
Or is it you too?

There are so many things
that make us free;
but if you live in sin,
then it’s the same for me

There are so many things
that blocked the light,
but an eclipse in space
is not why we fight

There are so many things
that we cling to,
but I let something happen;
I forgot to hold onto you

I think you could teach me what I forgot
Or maybe it’s just that I never knew how
I don’t know if you’d take the chance
On love that needs time instead of right now

I’ve been trying to lose my pride
But it keeps finding its way back home
It’s a feeling I don’t miss when it’s gone
But it’s something that can’t live on its own

I wonder if could do it
Would you risk another vow?
Is it good enough that I want to love again
For you to show me how?

There’s the right way to feel
And the right way to care
I just want to know
What’s the right way to share?

I’ve been going down my own road
I’m not lost but I haven’t been found
We’re both heading in the same direction
But are we walking on the same ground?

I wonder if could do it
Would you risk another vow?
Is it good enough that I want to love again
For you to show me how?

I don't have any biblical meaning
I'm just part of the story
You don't have to ask me anything
Just let me make something up
What difference does the past make
I've never spent the night in jail
Isn't that all that really matters
That and the money
You'll see it when I get around to it
It will roll out slowly
One day you'll realize I was generous
Just not all at once
The scary part is I'm over her so fast
Is that important to you
You can ask me about if if you want
But you'll just be jealous in two months
So why don't we pretend it's July
And I just said
I never loved anyone like I love you

They made him carry a cross
They whipped him until he bled
Why would a God allow
What no man can endure
And as he fell once again
His neighbor remembered what he said

They nailed his feet without mercy
And then his hands
He cried out to save them
They know not what they do
It was greater than loaves and fishes
Forgiveness they could never understand

They lanced his side
Though he was already dead
When water poured out
They filled their cups
And before they could drink of it
They saw that the water was red

The took him down
And divided his clothes
What did they do with the cross
Did they burn it
Or build a church
I wonder if anybody knows

The placed him in a tomb
And sealed it with a stone
He said destroy this temple
And in three days I will rise it up
They saw it with their own eyes
Still no man was able to atone

The stone invited them in
The angels told them the news
He has risen
And when he returned
He showed them his hands
And said, this church is built upon you

She once was just another star you drowned in your light
But when our little world stopped spinning
All that remained was the end of another long day
The night sky seemed good only for a long goodbye
Instead it became the light that helped me find my way

I decided I wanted to be in love again
But you said I fell for the first star I saw that night
Maybe what you meant is not what for me to say
There is nothing to regret if the first hello always lasts
And nothing to forget of the light that chased your shadow away

It’s not our opinions upon which we must judge
Sometimes we wish to untie old knots with words that bind
Our hands were left free to choose another place to stay
But what was left of our minds held close our parting
Knowing our spoken words were not how small children play

It was time to think about what she said
Another day had passed and I started wondering
Did I get what she was saying or was it over my head

I needed to stop talking and start listening
I thought about the cost of not feeing her emotion
I wasn’t being a lover in the things I was saying

She talked about things like loyalty and devotion
And how we shouldn’t let others separate us
What would you call a beach without an ocean?

This time what I saw in your eyes wasn’t lust
You walked away from the things I’d mistaken for love
You said being alone is better than living without trust

Fighting everyday was something you were tired of
Somebody once told me passion isn’t always pleasant
You said whoever said didn't know hurt from love

I always thought I was the gift, God’s present
But when you walked away I was ribbons in the trash
The only gift there ever was, was your heart’s presence

If only one man is free
Living in harmony with everyone
Should he walk back into prison
For what right is there if they have none?

Give him the key guard
Let him show us he too can be a slave
For one man to smile is an abomination
That is what they told him

Does hope live in solitary
Where there is nothing but memories
Bitterness has no imagination
For nothing cools in boiling blood

One man buried himself to grow
Another man is the fruit of the tree
Walking apart from his own people
Is the choice a free man must make

I gave you love that was all I had
It was almost enough
There was so much between us that mattered
But uncertainty dimmed the light

You were over my head
That's why I talked so much
I wanted to give you a life to believe in
But it took a movie to keep you around

I played a part
I made it easy for you
I made a mistake
I made it too easy for you

Now you look at me that way
I throw stones into quiet ponds
You didn't know how to reach the other side
I never knew it was me who brought it to you

How close to God
How close to love
Could we even think like that
When only sin made it last as long as it did

I played a part
I made it hard for you
I made a choice
I made it hard for you

I remember when I was hungry
I still am
But not like before
I remember when I would climb out a window for you
I wonder if I would do that again
But I know you now
The mystery is gone
It's like money
It once mattered
It still does
But not like that
Not like it once did
Now I just need enough to live
Before it was a way to define myself
And I hate that I ever thought like that
I
HATE
THAT
But I don't hate that I thought that way about you
I
LOVE
THAT
And you made me feel that way
It can be that way again
All we need is time
Time for the mystery to build again
Time for you to grow
Time for me to grow
To be so different than before
I am
I wonder if you are
And that's what I need
The mystery of you

Only until dawn
Will I consider purpose
But I shall find it
Only by day
To become effort
Then I will rest
Only until dawn
To reflect upon progress
Then I shall embark
Only by day
To awaken forgiveness
Then I will measure
Only until dawn
The distance traveled
To turn the arc of recourse
Only by day
Where the sun reveals
What will burn deeply
Only until dawn
For which I shall suffer
To begin again
Only by day
To pray once more
For my strength
Only until dawn

I wanted to speak plainly,
but as nature has reached you,
so should I in the way only love can hear

If you can listen to me now,
while I am still alive, you will always know
of my desire to draw you near

There is nothing left between us,
only desperation, for the time has passed
for lovers to wait for their dreams to appear

I am circling your world, drawn
by your longing for eyes that open at night
to show you what you once watered with tears

I want to whisper to you now,
so that you must come close enough for me
as the exiting calm begins to disappear

I will not touch you until you are ready,
but the hair on our arms will rise before us
as nature's calling will turn fate away from our fears

I want to tell you that I love you
I want to tell you now
But why do I have to wait so long

I can't let loneliness separate me from you
I won't settle for anyone
Because anyone would be wrong

I will wait as long as I have to
Even if someone else has taken my place
Even if you're already gone

There is a place for what we once had
And it is still alive inside my heart
There is a place and that is where we belong

I was death
Flying high above caring
For what was my life other than suffering?
Though I saw a rainbow
What *** of gold could my soul desire
When a storm is the only way I can dream?
Until my love
I walked upon the shore
And I knew I'd never leave again
For the light I saw
Beckoned
And when I came upon your life
I turned one last time to the sea
And the light upon the waters was no more
For it was now shining on me

Would you enter a world even if no one would follow
What part of yourself would you give up to remain behind
You might jump up on a stage or instead use a camera on a gorge
But tranquil waters wait for those who do not care what they find

Would you chase a car on foot knowing it might suddenly stop
Is it a metaphor for restlessness or do you want to see your past
I thought an artist was only a reflection of life until I met you
You took your clothes off and said morals weren’t meant to last

Would you leave a world if everyone else left before you did
Why would you go knowing they it would be the same game
You told me perception was easier because it let you sleep
To most people the truth was just a way to shift the blame

Would you rather everyone pray or lay their hands on you
The commune was a choice between the faith and fear
The hallway between them was the only place for true reason
I only saw fear, not faith and the desire to draw someone near

You speak so close with only a look
But I hear things from beyond the horizon
Safe
Imagined
Hopefully you
You became like a silent book
Full of life but waiting for my attention
For love
From me
To you
But am I a saint or a crook?
Neither for my mistake is honest apprehension
For how can I know
About me
Or about you?

He was an old dog
But he had a few new tricks
He had some ways that were stuck
It wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix

He was back on the dating scene
And he’d been reading the news
He wondered if women had changed
He wondered if there were new rules

She wants to be equal
He’ll love her more than that
There’s no trick to it
Old school new school
He’s gonna’ love her more than that

He tried not to act too friendly
Lordy these ladies walk so fast
They’re in a hurry alright
They’re being chased by the past

He tipped his hat and smiled a little
It seemed he caught her eye
He felt his face get red a bit
She knew he was the right guy

He could stay home
And say the world passed him by
But love never gets old
It can still make him cry

She wants to be equal
He’ll love her more than that
There’s no trick to it
Old school new school
He’s gonna’ love her more than that

I was death
Flying high beyond mere existence
For what was my life other than suffering
Until I saw a rainbow form from my dark clouds
For what *** of gold could my soul live without
That a perfect circle would never conceal?

My love
Until I walked upon the shore
I never knew I'd come home
For the light I saw
Beckoned
And it told me what to do
And when I came upon you
I turned once more to the sea
And the light upon the waters was no more
As it was now shining only upon me

And the heart that held your ear close
Tried to tell you of my past
But you said I was good because I wanted love
There was no vision that I could see
Except the pain you accepted from me
You knew I had long drifted
By the way I stared back at the sea

The ways of a goodbye is to linger
And the way of love is to wait until I am ready

A rose garden knows what to do
Alone doesn’t mean having to hide
What’s up what’s going on why not
Questions don't make a girl confide

A dusty bottle an old dry cork
No matter how hard it is to pull
What’s inside is what’s past
What you drink is a memory full

Hang on to what you got
Nature has a way with the lost
Find yourself take a look
Look around look around
That's what she took

Dancing on the porch
The moon is entertained
What you do is what you do
Even long ago feels no shame

Smell a rose leave it on the vine
Pour a glass full of old red wine
She’s out there you know where
Drink it up maybe you won’t care

Hang on to what you got
Nature doesn’t add up the cost
Find yourself take a look
Look around look around
Forget what she took

I have more than just flashes of reality
But only when I’m sober

And I know exactly what I’m waiting for

I am your only lover
The only one who really loved you
The only one unafraid to tell a table full of old men
And they would know not to laugh
Or to fantasize about you
At least not in front of me

You are not afraid to fly
Or to live without trying
The wind blows its own way
And that is how you see life
It is God’s will
Time never changes
You have chosen to ignore its effect
And if the plane crashes
You will silently pray for your mothers heart
While our love accepts its fate

You set fire to the roll of film
You wanted to **** it

But I kept a copy just in case

I finally impressed you again
I needed a lucky break
A way past the guards
And it made you angry
Because now you want to kiss me
Still you hesitate
Your lips remind you where they’ve been
How can you make it different this time
Where pleasure is no longer the path away from loneliness

I am your son my father
You have come to me in a dream
You are younger than I can remember
Because I’m not born yet
How can I tell her that what we shared is all there is
That we are meant for one another
And though we cannot behave any other way
What we shared with others we must share again

So many people are watching us
It’s as if we are making a speech about freedom
They want to know if we can find love again

I heard a song from long ago
And it felt like the time I heard it when I was young
It felt the same
But you are so much more
How can we not feel what I felt in the song?

I’ve been waiting all my life for that moment
And then when it was over we looked at each other
Just like you are looking at me now
Wanting me to kiss you
You want it to be my idea

And it is
That is why I tried to impress you

Kiss me my love
It will not be like the last man
It will be what you remember
But tried to forget

We can burn the film together

It's time to make a new one

I want to give you something
that you cannot give back
A walk in the park wondering
if you love me enough to try
You will remember and that is why
Something to compare is what I am

You can’t give back you and I
A moment that only we know
Things we said and felt
You cannot take off and return
Chains and rings are golden
But a man cannot forge love that way

Where you saw me standing alone
Do you remember where it was
Yes you do because you were there too
It was not a church or a celebration
It was on a street where people wonder
if you see them or your reflection in a window

The door to this prayer is out of reach
I spoke to you many times as I thought about it
To every possible thing you could say I listened
But what I thought of wouldn’t be you
I tried to build a sand castle made of fantasy
Instead you were a wave answering to the moon

To be proud of survival drowning in regret
It’s the way a loner thinks of the night
Watching others who seem to be happy
But the stars are so different to me
Neither is my heart when it thinks of you
Something for you to always keep of mine

Do we belong together?
Is there something greater than desire?
Is it fate?
Is it destiny?
Is there a difference?
Does it matter?
Two souls that are alike
Beautiful as snowflakes
But not as different as they are to one another
Or is it a coincidence?
Was it easier to open that door
The one where I stood
But I love you
No matter the reason
My mind is made up
I know it's true
Yet love asks more than that from us
It's not enough to know who you love
Fate is not enough
Nor destiny
Or an open door
It's not enough
I have to feel hurt from you
Difficulty
Anger
And remain by your side
I have to say goodbye to someone else
Be loyal to you
Tell them you are with me now
And show you that we are
I once knew how to do that
But now
I only know who I love
That's all I know
It's all I can do
Just know
You

There's so many stars to count
One for your every heart beat
When you're not with me
I look to the sky at night
And as I count them again
I see your heart within my reach

Where the wind cannot find a friend
It’s just a ghost town trying to get away
I didn’t bother to board up the windows
So you can imagine how things used to be

I’m trying not to over-react anymore
It’s hard to get used to things right away
I don’t like rearranging tomorrow today
When I’m still cleaning up yesterday

I’m not love sick about anyone right now
Every pretty face is just a heart full of fear
I know what to do with sweet rain falling
Would it be better with you I’ll never know

I listen to every word, see every face
You see so little as you pass me by
What’s missing is what I don’t talk about
My past decides what it is you should see

I want to light a candle in a storm
The eye of a hurricane needs help
Nothing works like it did before we met
But the match in my hand will light for you

If I looked at you
Would you smile or be disappointed?
It's not me that you should judge
Because if you think I'm like every other man
Then you're wrong my love

It's just that what I feel
Is what I see in you
And the fear that makes you reject me
Is not because you think I'm ordinary
It's because you think you are

Don't be sorry to accept my love
I'm no longer here for the night
It's only about the morning
Because a sunrise is what I want
And not shadows afraid of your life

If you think you cannot hold me
Then let your eyes fall to the floor
But what I want is what you want
And though we knew each other once
It's not the past that will save us

How many times can you say no?
What is tomorrow without hope?
You won't tell me why
But your eyes can never lie
And that is why I want you so badly

You have to believe in yourself
And you have to believe in me
If I seem so desperate to you
Then is it really me or you?
Because all I said was hello

Caring too much is bad for your health
I can feel it eating my guitar strings alive
I only wish I’d 've of played them sooner

I chose anger instead of rehab
Raw nerves over anesthesia
I’ve never felt more like an adult
But something is blocking the drain
Like a body trying to sober up

I can’t blame it on something
I can’t say everybody makes mistakes
That’s not something I believe in
I don’t compare myself anymore
Except to the light coming through my window

Caring too much is bad for your life
I can feel it eating my expectations alive
I only wish I’d 've killed them myself

Walk on the stage and rip ‘em to shreds
Who cares how much they make
We never get that satisfaction do we?
To see a bully lose is the dream
But how many dreams come true?

You asked me if I liked your shorts
I said yes
Then you said you won’t take them off
So why did you ask?
You said I like to see men squirm

I almost blamed myself on you
Then I remembered I asked you to fix me
It’s not so easy being irreparable
But I don’t even have a tattoo to regret
I didn’t have the guts to love you like that

Caring too much is bad for your heart
I can feel it eating this poem alive
I only wish I'd 've written it before you left

It’s more than having dry bones
while it rains every night
or being a head taller
than the one who fancies his girl
it's not just his girl clapping her hands
while they danced
or sending her flowers
knowing she would welcome them
it’s not just being forgiven by God
for what was woven by his own shame
or being given a meal
not knowing when the next will arrive
it’s more than throwing a rock
into a fountain for luck
or praying on Saturdays
for the things that life sometimes forgets
it’s being able to say
good morning and mean it
or feeling the smile of a stranger
warm a winter’s day
but most of all
it's being able to help someone else
or make them feel special
like you made me feel today

I realized I was found when my purpose became duty
It was as if a spear passed through my body without a mark
I know because I felt something but I cannot prove it
The time that passed was instead the distance traveled
And though I was hollow before, this time I actually knew

I thought about taking a chance to see fears beauty
We never take the time to gaze upon its life changing arc
Instead we run never know how we can conquer it
The distance between is instead the time that has passed
And though I have my purpose it is too hard without you

I began to think I was on the front row watching a movie
The strain of the images was like separating light from dark
My entrails retained a memory despite my need to forget it
The distance of time was shortened by my arrival
And though I will remember, it is desire I must subdue

i could paint you
red and white
still couldn't get it right
but you'd smile anyway
you like those colors
but not if it means you have to stay
that's not being free
somebody's fantasy
they hold you tight
their mind has it all figured out
but you say
not tonight
that's ok
i have it figured out
i love you
and there's nothing more than that
one day
little bit at a time
you'll be in in my flat
can you live like that
you could if you would
that's it isn't it?
if you would

I keep pushing the walls back
I might be in prison
But it's not going to be something I notice
There's room for a steer's skeleton head
Birds that scatter the wind before them
And a windmill that forgot how to draw water

Everthing in my head is just a backtrack
I need a new rhythm
Everbody says so but then they lose focus
They talk but end up complaining instead
A prison yard that I invent won't condemn
I'm not gonna' be the one despair will conquer

Trying to make them love with hatred
Trying to make them forgive with judgment
Trying to make them understand with ignorance
Trying to make them give with selfishness
Trying to win hearts and minds with bombs
Trying to change the world with intolerance
Trying to end racism with predominance
Trying to make them happy with power

Tell me what you saw from the front row
That was the problem
I was on the stage and didn’t ask you to join me
I was on top
You were on the bottom

Tell me how it looks from inside your eyes
Was I real to you
I didn’t feel that way very often
It was all an act
That much was true

Tell me if I’ve left the room empty enough
I may have left you a chair
I never did ask what you want me to do
It’s easier to pretend
It’s easier not to be there

Tell me about the reason you can’t hear me
I know you already said why
I just remembered the night you didn’t care
I said hello
You said goodbye

I could see the forest;
I was standing far away;
but you only feel the lost
fawn stumbling; the path,
washed over by leaves;
a baby bird, fallen; not
to be found; a startled bear,
searching for her cub;
surprising a fearful hiker;
a random path, cut by
rain without permission;
the shadows, so jealous
of the sunlight; allowing,
if only for a moment, it’s
life; losing the colors of
its past, without memory
or sentiment; sentiment;
only to give birth just in
time for another fire; yes,
you only could think it as
just that old thing; it was
only a sundress; worn so
many times before; but it
was the magic of the rain
forest; the teeming life
within, with the spirit and
the glory of a your soul;
you can't decide if you're
it's mother or it's lover;
but the gaps between each
strand of your hair; filled
by my hands, like the
sunlight begging the dark
shadows for forgiveness;
while my eyes search
your heart for the path
the breeze carves each
day, wet with the dew
shaken from the leaves
that wish they were you