Our friends are mercenaries
They have their own love and mission in life
And you may have troubles that cannot be helped

But still they come

Though what they may leave behind
Are rivers carving valleys you have never seen
Where green meadows await the night
Chasing their children home
So the breezes can sweep the dust from the porch
Cooling the sweat upon your brow
Guiding the sounds of a pedal-steel guitar into their hearts
Where each season waits its turn
Accelerating the change from warm to cool
And the migration of nature from north to south
From leaf to limb
And ice to garden
Yes all of this is what they may have come to know

But still they come

You can build a life of honor
No matter how poor
Dignity or hunger
The choice of some must make
It has always been so
Or instead to make a stand
There is no advice from a white man
For someone on the bridge
You can only walk beside them
But you cannot be them

But still some came

Sometimes that is all that matters

We watch while anger enters our space
Choosing to understand is that easy
If you can only clear you mind
Forget from where you came
Even if they cannot forget their past
There is no community without open doors
There is no country without open minds
Each of our troubles takes its turn
Like the seasons
It can never be the same
Happiness is not a life
But a moment to cherish
Suffering is not something to ignore
But a moment to live
What kind of a life would it be
To wait until it happens to you
Is to close the windows into your soul
Without sunlight
Or air to breathe
Or truth

But still you expect them to come
Because now it has happened to you

And they did

Still they march
For though the butterfly has emerged
A legacy has eternal life
And though grace cannot be earned
And though faith is about trust
Still they march
For the bridge they crossed is a promise they made
To themselves
And to those who crossed before them
And until butterflies teach moths
That a flame is not the answer
There will be those drawn to the fire
Of human sacrifice
For another

It’s not coming from my eyes
It’s better for the rain to slay
The feelings that dare to swim
To keep them with me always
Not so they can begin again
But to color the things I say
Because it’s my life
And I’m not going to run away

I would wait a thousand nights
Just so you can believe, but you know
Even the sea takes back every wave
The distance is in how we grieve
It’s safer under dark skies
Than inside a dark cave
Lost in a world someone created
It’s better never to enter, only leave

I know what want from me
Looking glass eyes that understand
While my breath is the moon tide
Pushing my hands around your waist
The smile that you summon
Would leave that dark place
And by the morning of the day you see
The dark walls became light by your hand

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

I used to think dying wasn't fair
Now I'm happy it’s a slow death
I need to stick around a little more
I'm not gonna’ ask what for

I’m not ready for streets of gold
I don’t know how to live like that
Maybe it’s just my imagination
This world is only good for complainin’

God I’m outta’ control
God, are you outta’ control too?
Are you still throwin’ paint at us?
Are you still trying to create us?

It feels like some sort of made up game
I’m no tourist I don't care where I go
I just live here
I’m not very biblical
Just a part-time saint and a full-time criminal

I’ve been movin’ around
I’m not a part of anything
I just remember the people I met
And when it rains they still get wet

God I’m outta’ control
God, are you outta’ control too?
Are you still throwin’ paint at us?
Are you still trying to create us?

Watching the news today
Hearing the trees knock on my door
The wind escaping a bad memory
Taking it’s revenge on us all

I wondered how you were doing
The flood didn’t seem to care
It grabs you, accusing of something
You can’t deny, it’s gonna rise anyway

The sky was full of dread
I wanted to worry about it with you
You had to take care of your pets
And I know you did it better than I could

I’ll go ahead and miss you now
It’s something I might never know
We’re not together
I need to feel how it would be
To lose you before I love you
It’s like a storm following you back home

The sky was full of things I said
I wanted to know if you saw it too
You had to be strong for yourself

To make yourself laugh
Even though you let hate into your heart
Is patching a hole without any paint

He couldn’t remember how to act
It was lost upon him who would benefit
He didn’t think about what he could have been
That was for people who lacked style

To make yourself cry
Even though you had a good day
Is digging a hole because that’s the real world

A blood moon begs a question
So does not talking about last night
He hoped it didn’t mean anything
Giving up was easy for him to do

To make yourself laugh
Even though you’ve told a lie
Is patching a hole with the wrong color paint

He saw no point in going to confession
The middle man doesn't know if he is real
To speak of remorse was only between people
God had already knew if he was rising or sinking

To make yourself cry
Even though you helped a stranger
Is digging a hole because you know no other way

I'm not rebuilding
I'm growing
I'm not failing
I'm changing
I'm not running
I'm arriving
I'm not healing
I'm becoming

I know my love is not more important than loneliness
We went so far that it changed your past
It’s not remembering my name but what I was to you
I reached you but still it didn’t last

I’ve become balcony sunsets washed by tides of butterfly’s
Knowing you’re out there makes my heart listen
It’s strange though how we want to listen to something sad
While the roof we built lets the rain in

You walked in the river where I stand
As long as my feet are wet
My soul is a part of everything we planned
I know it’s not my choice anymore
But I’m strong enough to forgive you
And I’m strong enough to still love you

The golden rails to you are being laid night after night
My shadow lays next to them by day
I can’t make it happen but beauty is nature’s story
It’s my imagination that knows what it will say

You walked in the river where I  swim
As long as my body is wet
My life is a part of everything within
I know it’s your choice now
But I’m strong enough to miss you
And I’m strong enough to live without you

To know who your true love is
Is to know of something good

Time holds the secret close
Suppressing reflections of the past
All the mirrors have been removed
For to see yourself is to remember
The things you know to be true

You say look into your eyes if I’m leaving
I say look into my eyes to know I’m staying

But I stay with you from a distance
Suffering from the paleness of still blood
Trying to make it run listening to the news
The world is killing itself because living is too hard
It’s not hard for me even if it really is
It always turns out alright
But every minute feels like the end is near

Just knowing someone like you
It’s why I know waiting is worth all the rest

I’m not throwing my life away
Living for something meant for you is life
Because we met
And it can never be taken away
Somebody is thinking about you
Always

Do not fear the love that can live alone
It is the fantasy of life
And it is real my love

The distance between real life
and living your fantasies is the distance
between piano lessons and playing by ear;
expression cannot be taught, it must
be lived, bled, left for dead and
brought back alive by the one who knows

The problem with our pain is the why
behind the experience; is there a
redemptive quality like the pursuit
of spiritual growth and humanity or was
it merely fingernails on your back from
someone you’d rather see naked than to
actually get to know them

As soon as you stop being impressed by
anyone you meet you can clear the way
to be who you really are; stop thinking
of what they have done because that
time has already passed; the further from
imitation the closer to originality even
if it take ten years for you to gather
your thoughts

What you have to understand is nobody
is going to tell you a secret that will
change your circumstances; you have to
know that inspiration is lying next to the
man on the next corner that you pass
because that is the meaning of life right
there but did you notice him or were you
instead reading something that somebody
else said

If you want to be a mystic then you have
to stop waiting for proof and instead look
for truth in things that are not apparent
to you such as why your heart beats without
your intervention or why consciousness
is far beyond physical capabilities; but
as soon as you declare yourself to be a mystic
then it’s already lost because it’s not something
you can elect to be

The problem with that way of thinking is
in the eyes of your child; the one who is now
living the moment of true belief in the wonder
of the things that you found to be fleeting
in their love for you; you at least owe it to them
to more than feed them, if you only speak of
the future you will make them like you, a person
who wishes he were a child again

We must make love
Before we ever touch
We must make love
As we talk
We must make love
Whenever we walk
Together
Or alone
Always on our mind
As a gentle breeze
Capturing your heart
With love
With allure
With anticipation
Even as we wait
Knowing our bodies
Will please the other
Because
That is what matters
Let me be your lover
Let me take you there
You must know
That I crave you
I cannot stop
Thinking of you
Imagining
How you will be
The singular focus
Of my need
To engulf you
Can no longer be denied
And so
It is time
To be still
It is time
To be silent
It is time
For you to submit
To me
We have gazed upon one another
We have bared our souls
We have been equals
Now it is time
For me to be your man
And to be a man
The way you want me to be
The way that I am
You don't have to tell me what to do
I know what you want
I know how you want it
And that is what I want
So it is time
For submission
To be beautiful
To be desirable
To be open
To let me run free
In your life
In your mind
In your garden
Let me control you
Let me turn the key
And open the door
To the way a man
Loves a woman
It is time for me
To carry you
It is time for me
To ****** you
It is time for you
To submit
To my lust
To my desire
To my need
To make love to you
As long as it takes
For your
Exhaustion
For your
Glistening
Beads of sweat
For your
******
Yes
As long as it takes
I will never tire
Because
All I want
Is to make you
Remember
And want more
Every night
I will be your man
I am not beating my chest
It is my heart that beats
In pursuit
Of you
My prey
Let me kiss your neck
Let me turn you
Away
So I can touch you
All over your body
Let me turn you
And see your body
And draw you to me
Let me pull you
To me
So I can touch you
And kiss you
Ravenously
Like an animal
Overwhelming you
With my passion
As you have never felt
Passion
Dominating your mind
So you will forget
Your lessons
Of childhood
So you can be a woman
And make love to me
Your man

We must make love
Before we ever touch
We must make love
As we talk
We must make love
Whenever we walk
Together
Or alone
Always on our mind
As a gentle breeze
Capturing your heart
With love
With allure
With anticipation
Even as we wait
Knowing our bodies
Will please the other
Because
That is what matters
Let me be your lover
Let me take you there
You must know
That I crave you
I cannot stop
Thinking of you
Imagining
How you will be
The singular focus
Of my need
To engulf you
Can no longer be denied
And so
It is time
To be still
It is time
To be silent
It is time
For you to submit
To me
We have gazed upon one another
We have bared our souls
We have been equals
Now it is time
For me to be your man
And to be a man
The way you want me to be
The way that I am
You don't have to tell me what to do
I know what you want
I know how you want it
And that is what I want
So it is time
For submission
To be beautiful
To be desirable
To be open
To let me run free
In your life
In your mind
In your garden
Let me control you
Let me turn the key
And open the door
To the way a man
Loves a woman
It is time for me
To carry you
It is time for me
To ****** you
It is time for you
To submit
To my lust
To my desire
To my need
To make love to you
As long as it takes
For your
Exhaustion
For your
Glistening
Beads of sweat
For your
******
Yes
As long as it takes
I will never tire
Because
All I want
Is to make you
Remember
And want more
Every night
I will be your man
I am not beating my chest
It is my heart that beats
In pursuit
Of you
My prey
Let me kiss your neck
Let me turn you
Away
So I can touch you
All over your body
Let me turn you
And see your body
And draw you to me
Let me pull you
To me
So I can touch you
And kiss you
Ravenously
Like an animal
Overwhelming you
With my passion
As you have never felt
Passion
Dominating your mind
So you will forget
Your lessons
Of childhood
So you can be a woman
And make love to me
Your man

I cannot stay in this place
For the roots that dug through my mind
Have punctured my heart
I must find a way out of this subterranean pain

I cannot stay in this place
One prayer at a time can be so unkind
I must ask for it all at once
It is because the past has plowed the field once again

I cannot stay in this place
It is not for me to say what must be left behind
But what lies beneath the layers of time
Can only be mined by someone unafraid of an empty vein

It is better to suggest than to proclaim
Even as I proclaim that which I suggest
For faith can turn a man to God
While a demand may turn him away
To call a man evil for unbelief
Is it to make him more than human
Or less?
You give him power by declaring him to be so
And those who believe in him
Grow strong as they defend their right
As you grow weak by abandoning faith
Defending the universe you placed in your mouth
Claimed from Krishna as your own
Because silent prayers draw no audience
And desire is mistaken as God's will

The sun
it burns into my skin and my mind
I run
for it is not love but instead so unkind
Each star
the personal path to God for every soul
So far
yet a lifetime to make a lost cross whole
The moon
does not burn nor does it block our path
In June
or in December the tide is our holy bath
For though
John did baptize the lamb by a river day
Even so
the freedom to worship is the sinner way
Please do
we love it, take us wherever you are
Inside you
the void of space means nothing to a star
Who spun
the web inside by eyes on fire only to blame
The one
who knows not what they do except claim
The sun
no matter how much my mind is forgotten
A son
the one once but not to be twice begotten
While clocks
time my hearts beat until a path opens
A box
where the starlight is no longer broken

You are his will on earth
For in this blink of life we all live
Despite the denial of our own mortality
And an unknowing purpose before God
You have taught us how to give

Suspicion
                                                  and paranoia

If they're following you
It's real
                                                   but if they're not
Is it an emotion
Or a state of mind?

i do not feel any darkness inside of me,
only the sheerness of the oppression of the ages,
raining down from atomic skies;
along with the fears of so many who cannot see;
as ignorance draws not from the well of freedom,
nor listens to the wisdom of sages,
but instead courts the fascism of seductive lies

Sweet lady
They want to hide you from the night
Let me be your witness
Show me what you keep inside

Sweet lady
They tell you to cover up
But your eyes still know enough
To show a man how to love

Let me see you
Let me be with you
The way you want to be
With me
With me

Sweet lady
Your face became my dream
You smile silently away
Knowing what I want to believe

Sweet lady
In another world
You would play in the light
Show me things only you can see

Let me see you
Let me be with you
The you
The you, you want to be
With me
With me
The way
The way you want to be
With me
With me

I’m not looking at the camera
I’m not looking over at you
You decided you know better
You decided you know what’s true

I’m surprised how important it is to you
You hurt a friend of mine
Over something that had nothing to do with you
If you only knew how it controls your mind

Everybody wants to preach back at him
Using words you don’t believe are true
You bait the hook then blame the fish
How weak must it be to blame the fish

Does God reveal himself in a storm
In the curtain call for terror
There is no understanding
Except those who can only look for error

Where is your destination
Nobody parted the sea upon us all
So a man of god failed us again
And so too my breath failed again

I think you may have made a find
It was so easy to tell us what was true
God will remind Caiaphas why
But what will he decide about you?

We saw her walking away
We smiled right through her jeans
Sometimes she looks so good
But I don’t really care what it means

We laughed because we’re so bad
It’s not like the girls don’t know
“What are you gonna do now?”
“I’m gonna take it as far as it needs to go”

Take it as far as it needs to go
She may be in it for love
But I’m gonna take it slow
Take it as far as it needs to go
She may look good
But love needs time to grow

I may want a girl
I may want her bad
But after a night of love
I’ll probably just make her sad

Can a girl make love for nothing?
For nothing but how I make her feel?
I already know what she’ll do for me
We’ll see what happens once it gets real

Take it as far as it needs to go
She may be in it for love
But I’m gonna take it slow
Take it as far as it needs to go
She may look good
But love needs time to grow

It’s become greater than I am
I’ve loved you for ten years
And I’ve not seen you in three
Or however far away time must be

It could be a shadow or cold sand
Dark or comforting without a sound
Lightly reminding me of what I cannot see
Still I wear eyes that want to believe

What I used to say is nothing anymore
I was a baby then and I’m a man now
You heard what I said and hung it on a wall
Take it down baby
Take it down
Take it down
I can't look at it anymore

I'm about to make you feel nervous
Maybe it's easy for you to tell me the truth
But only if it's goodbye to set yourself free
I wonder if you could ever say you still love me

What I used to say is nothing anymore
I was a baby then and I’m a man now
You heard what I said and hung it on a wall
Take it down baby
Take it down
Take it down
I'm not like that anymore

I was wondering how old my blood was
I haven’t bled in a long time
At least not on the outside
Maybe I should set some of it free
Free to find a different body to love

But I’m the nearest patient to the cure
It’s hard to give up your life for another
That’s exactly what we ask them to do
And they cry and can never explain
There is no perception to convince
No reality to ignore
They know

I could never be a tool for God
My dreams are not to bend your will
I will not control you
It is your choice

I could never be an example for God
My dreams are not to bend my will
I cannot stop sinning
That is my choice

I don’t know if I’m supposed to be a hammer
Or a wrench
Should I put something inside of you
Or remove the pain you came home with

I could age ten years in two months
I could reject the new world
Let all my gray hair grow
Let the sun wrinkle my face
And become angry at feet on my lawn

But I want to be wiser than that
Without trying to be

The memory of a child may not be the truth
The lack of understanding creates dreams
Dreams that become reality
Reality that becomes who you are
Even if you mother says it never happened

I thought about carrying a book with me
It would full of subversive quotes
World weary conclusions
Nothing about money
But instead I carry it in my head
I know all these things
It’s hard to live past it like watching mile markers
We record them in our head
But after a while all we see are green rectangles

I wanted to walk up to a woman
A stranger
Tell her she’s the one
Kiss her
And watch the look on her face

It could never happen
The days of bravery are over
Now we must fear one another
Fear feelings
Fear the past
Fear the culture
Fear their space

So I wait
Wait to give you  my blood
But I’m not a hammer
Or a wrench
It is to be given freely
To take nothing away
So we can share the things together
But not to be afraid
To believe in something
Naïve
Idealistic
Free

pick your sinner baby
a bottle of wine
and a look in his eye
or somebody preaching
and taking
the book don't live in no mansion
least that's what he said
you know it's like that
people gotta' live
you gonna' judge
or you gonna give?

She likes to go out of her way now
But her heart is still a back-seat driver
She keeps saying I’m the one driving here
You be quiet, I’m the one who’ll steer

I can’t get her to take a rose from my hand
She used to love someone else without any flowers
Now I have to make a promise before a kiss
She’s afraid of the feeling she’s gonna’ miss

Takin’ the long way around love
Takin’ the long way around love
She’d rather climb a tree and pretend
Than stand on the ground and love again

I want to sit by a river with a friend
Forgetting about hard times
Thinking about what’s to come
We used to be excited about a mystery
Now we want to know how the story will end

Takin’ the long way around love
Takin’ the long way around love
She’d rather close the curtains at night
Than let me love her under the moonlight

Tattoo tears
Walking between our eyes and our heart
A trail of pain
For our next lover to see
We were victims
Perpetrators
Witnesses
To the crime
When all we really wanted was love
But we became all these things
Because our emotions became weapons
Weapon’s to protect ourselves
From our own dreams
The dreams we saw in each other
Yet what we saw
Became what we demanded
And what we demanded
Became what was wrong
Because a dream is not a heart
It is only what your heart wants
Desire does not bleed
It is blood
And the tears that walk upon our souls
Are now on our lives
The secret we both held fast
Is ready for the world to see
If we would only let them

Where my life takes its bidding
Is the simplest place I can find
To listen to a conversation
Is to know how to eat or to fight
I dopped a tear off at the door
I only wanted to smile at nothing
It was not as hard as I imagined
As I left my tears begged to stay
I would rather share a quiet bottle
Than a very loud glass of pride
I can fade away with happy patience
For time now is to live not impress

Crying without tears
Living alone for too long
It’s not what I’m used to
I don’t do sad very well

I wonder if I should just let it go
The flood building up inside
Or the feeling I have for you

Crying without fear
Living apart feels wrong
You know what’s really true
It’s just hard for me to tell

I wonder when you’ll let me know
You smile but you never confide
Are you hiding somebody new?

Crying about years
Living distant days is too long
I wanted to come see you
But what if your heart already fell

I wonder if you’ll just say so
Why do I believe what you denied
It’s because I’m a jealous fool

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

There was a time I didn’t know who to pray to
I knew what I was doing was wrong
I hoped you understood why
I wasn’t sure if heaven was where I belonged

There was a time I thought I knew how to pray
I hoped what I was doing was right
I knew you understood why
Still I wondered if I walked in the light

I’m gonna’ have to die with it
and bring my shame to you
I’m gonna’ have to live with it
tell me who I’m praying to

I have to go it alone on this one
Only the shadows will walk with me now
Being forgiven is the chance I have to take
I hope it happens even though I don’t know how

I’m gonna’ have to die with it
and bring my shame to you
I’m gonna’ have to live with it
tell me who I’m praying to

I can’t ask for things I can’t give
Don't tell me how to die
Tell me how to live
Don't tell me how to lie
Tell me why you forgive

I’m gonna’ have to die with it
and bring my shame to you
I’m gonna’ have to live with it
tell me who I’m praying to

How many times do you not know?
I would want to know
The blood that was taken from you
Was there all along
I would want to know
And now you do
So you can live another way
Unless you've become what you thought you knew
It's so hard to change
Believing something
That's all it is
A belief
But who said it was forever?

I can’t seem to get this thing started
But I know I can find my way home
I can take you to where the ice melts
We can follow it until it turns to foam

How long does it take to gain your confidence
I need the key but the puzzle is in your mind
All these complications for such simple things
Like your cheek rubbing your tears on mine

You're like a home without a door
Nobody knows where to begin
The curtains are shut
And the lights are dim

I know you’re still thinking about him
I would come calling but he got to you
He’s moved on but you can’t come clean
I don’t care about your past but you still do

The path is covered with red leaves
The way you were once loved has fallen
Stop looking at trees that will never live again

I think about the past but you’re not in it
Tomorrow is the only place I can find love
I can’t begin to build a bridge all in one day
But when you cross you’ll know what it’s made of

You're like a light without a switch
Nobody knows how to turn you on
The shadows live a long life now
And your smile runs away from dawn

Take me home Lord or please leave me be
It's hard enough alone why can't you see?
You gave me time to live and time to be free
So let me suffer my own way so I can be me

Say something Lord so we know you're there
I don't need miracles just a sign that you care
My friends are crying from sorrow and despair
Help us as we wait on a horn blowing in the air

Take me or leave me
Bless me or reject me
Which one will it be
Tell me now Lord
Is it flesh or a soul you see?

Believing was hard even for a disciple
Their nets were full and loaves were plentiful
But they were afraid and could not be faithful
Forgive me for my weak heart is always sinful

I won't make promises anymore I can't keep
The last one I broke made someone weep
I pray now to the one who washed John's feet
And drink the wine and bread he served to eat

Take me or leave me
Doubt me or believe me
Which one will it be
Tell me now Lord
When will decide about me?

I'm very glad
Very glad to be so temporary
It is my choice
Not to be temporary
But to be glad
Maybe not very
But glad all the same

Temporary is a way to describe it
Fated is another
Common
Like everyone
Born to a mother
The same entrance to life

Then some good
Some bad
Like everyone
Choices
Mistakes
But nothing is clear
Because it always changes

What should we do

Love someone
Before you get old
Before you think of the next place
Yes
Try love
Not just your children
Or your parents

Yes
Try love

It is just like life
Temporary
A fire inside
Desire
Then belief
Comfort
If you are lucky

But love is not always returned
Life is not always kind
In fact
Life is cruel if anything at all
It's just a state

Temporary

Not a thing
Not a memory
Not an emotion
Not consciousness

All of that is you

Life is just a way of describing it

Like temporary
A way to describe it

Yes I'm glad
That is my choice
Rational
In the madness
Grateful
In the tragedy
Settled
In the waiting

It's ok
It has to be

If somebody asks why you said it that way
It's because that's who you are
That's the show they don't even have to pay to see
It's free and they should thank you instead
Because they heard the truth for once

If somebody thinks you're weird
You should thank them for saying that
It means they've never met anyone like you
You are a different world and they don't understand
Because they heard a language only you can speak

If somebody thinks you're too intense
It's because they're not ready for you
If it's meant to be they'll catch up someday
There is no point in waiting for them
If they want it bad enough they'll make it happen

If someone wonders how you do it
It's because you're not afraid to speak of it
The depths of your fears and rejection
You no longer worry who knows that you are human
Because crying out loud is from the truth you know

She wants to be good
And eternal life
We must not forget about that
So she prays
And preaches
And gives witness
And tempts the Lord
With her faith

It’s so far beyond my capacity to reason
Or maybe it's beneath it

That kind of belief
Cannot be discussed
In present company
I’ve never felt such unworthiness
And the need to reject
All at the same time

Does something terrible have to happen
For me to believe in this manner?
It’s not a matter of humbling myself
For God (if he’s up there) knows my limitations
I’m not fooling anyone
I know this
I really do

So why am I drawn to cemeteries
And crosses
But not to people?
It seems only the dead interest me
Maybe it’s because only they know

It wasn’t good enough for you to leave
You wouldn’t even leave a photograph
You know the one I’m talking about
It’s the one of you before you met me

I thought about how you might have felt
Before the love of your life happened
You once thought that was somebody else
Now you know that’s not really true is it?

We can wait all night
We can wait five years
That’s what a picture will do
Make it seem like it’s right around the corner
But you took it with you
Yeah you took it with you

I’m not really going insane over here
That’s for people who don’t know what they want
I have this memory that keeps things clear
So you keep it until you come back to me

I can’t get that photograph back
I can’t get it and I can’t get you
You don’t know why I loved that picture
It’s just gonna’ have to be my little secret
But if I have you then I want your past too

We can wait all night
We can wait five years
That’s what a picture can do
Make it seem like you never really left
But you took it with you
Yeah you had to take it with you

Why do I keep throwing my memories away?
Every new girl wants to **** my past
Now that you’re gone
The next one will want to **** you too

I don’t want to deny my past
I just want something that will last
Why waste time talking about her?
That’s all behind me now

I never think of them
Except when you bring it up
I’m not the type to go back
Why do you want to go there?

Don’t make me deny my past
I just want something that will last
Why waste time talking about her?
That’s all behind me now

You were supposed to make me forget
But you kept reminding my heart
Why did you do that?
You turned us off before we could start

I put on a slow song about the coast
And then I said, “Let’s dance”
But before long
You said, “That was ya’lls song”

It must be terrible to be so afraid
Why are you scared of a ghost?
You worry about what will never happen
You keep thinking about that song about the coast

Don’t make me deny my past
I just want something that will last
Why waste time talking about her?
That’s all behind me now

That’s alright son
Go ahead and shock me
Tell the world how you feel
Show me all the things you see

The only way to be
Is to live for you and not for me
I can take anything you say
I believe you no matter the plea

You don’t have to be clever
Or worry about wasting words
The breath in your anger is valid
Just like the wings on angry birds

Whatever is all around you
It’s not something you should fear
They don’t know you either
The way to walk is to keep yourself near

That’s alright son
Go ahead, listen to your command
I don’t mind dying inside your mind
Because it's a man who wants to stand

You might be tempted
Or maybe you’ll become the tempt
Don’t forget that what you hear
Are weak minds selling contempt

It’s the fate of evil to meet you
But you know that already
The sword is now in your hands
What caution said is now your reality

But whoever you must slay
Will never agree that it should be intended
Just know that your aim must decide
If he is a fool or the one who ascended

That’s alright son
Go ahead and blow my mind
I did it to myself long ago
And now it’s you that I hope to find

I saw her on the side of the road
Her thumb was scrapping the sky
I couldn't believe what I was seeing
She was standing where love goes to die

I asked, "Where you headed hon?"
She just smiled and climbed on in
I put my love life back into gear
But she was just lookin' for sin

"This is as far as my heart will go"
She made it clear to me
"I just like the honeymoon
And that's all it's gonna be"

She was ready to double-down on love
Even though she had no idea what came next
It didn't matter if she won or lost
Her heart was used to writing that check

I was maybe just the next ace
But gambling was her life
She just liked the excitment
She didn't care if she became my wife

This is as far as her heart will go
She made it clear to me
She just likes honeymoons
A beauty queen won't settle down for free

For a moment I thought I saw it
She was telling me she's been hurt before
Just when I thought she might settle down
She started looking at the door

This is as far as her heart will go
Just to the next stop
She'll ride with you for a while
But soon you'll be alone on that blacktop

There's nothing you have to do
Except be yourself
It's not what we accomplish
It's what we feel
You won't remember what we did
You'll just remember you were happy
It's not a plan
It's a life
Together
It's not proving anything
It's being comfortable
With each other
You'll know it
And so will I
That's what we have to trust
Because that's how it works

It had become so easy for her to say goodbye to a lover
She had become a rose with too many thorns

The melancholy of a guitar lingered always,
playing softly,
as she grew worried about things like intentions

They all walked away because she told them to

When she finally became a flower,
she could only love a man who refused to leave

There was no need to linger on the vine
When it was time for thorns it was time

Growing up one way is hard to forget

That’s what she decided
It was too hard to forget

But still,
she would try
because thorns can only hurt

and that’s not what she wanted to be

Flowers do not grow well in memories made of rice
or ribbons
or promises

But thorns can survive being buried in flesh
and in someone’s heart

Yes it was easier to live that way
Like a rose with too many thorns

Until he picked her for himself

I know why you don’t walk my way, I know,
Even though you keep looking over your shoulder
You want to love a man the way it should be
But you’ll wait even though you’re getting older

There’s something you carry inside you
It’s not anything a man can really touch
You thought of saving it for a special person
Now you’re wondering if it means very much

I don’t know why they made you that way
A woman knows how to love;
even a world that won’t
You’re tired of crying over a man
That something inside wants to believe
You do too even though you think you don’t

I don’t blame you for knowing how the world works
You were born to be disappointed more than the other half
You can’t make someone remember who forgets so easily
The only thing for you is to dry your eyes and try to laugh

I thought about what it would be like to grow old with you
But I don’t know if there’s enough time for me to grow up
You’re gonna have to live with what you already know
I can’t fill your heart, I just hope you’ll take half a cup

I don’t know why they made me that way
A man doesn’t know how to love;
that’s why the world won’t
I’m tired of making a woman cry
That something inside wants to believe
I do too even though you think you don’t

You said I’m a locked door
I said I’m an open book
You said the curtains are open
But people can only look

I said my heart is a saint
You said it was a crook
What you saw in the window
Are the things you say I took

A tree with no leaves
A beach with no shells
That’s all I left of you
That’s what you said
That’s what you said

Trees are for shelter and shade
Beaches are where love is made
But only if somebody cares enough
Cares enough not to be afraid
Not to be afraid

A tree with no leaves
A beach with no shells
That’s all I left of you
That’s what you said
That’s what you said

The age of awakening
When a boy becomes a man
No longer just listening
He questions who holds his hand
A revelation of life
His mind now his own
He will continue to search
His thoughts no longer on loan
From the world of eternal persuasion
The message he receives a ruse
God is this; Your country that
The truth has been abused
The confusion of a material world
And knowing how to live
He is confronted by a choice
Is it better to receive... or to give?
He will finally know
As the charlatans are revealed
They speak for themselves
Their motives no longer concealed
His ability to discern
And live on as a man
Will guide his future
As he discovers his plan
Fearful Mother remain strong
As you watch your bird fly away
You may well trust his wings
For you taught him to fly this way

There’s a dog walking around on stage
It’s a calm moment even though the problem is still with me
There’s a family of rocks that got there first
But a swarm of rapids started forming their way to the sea

The flowers were lost in a blind alley
Somebody left them behind so they took root in my heart
There’s a way to accept life this way
But the soil you till must not object to sounds in the dark

The source of the sound understood
It’s meaning came from the way it drew joy from despair
When you are able to be who you are
Then you will know why what we breathe is what we share

It’s in here
My happiness
Even if you can’t tell me it’s alright
And I’m asking you
Is it really alright for you?

I know your pain
Because it’s dying inside of you
That’s why you feel so bad
But living means you feel everything
And dying is letting it all go

It’s in here
Your happiness
I want to give it all to you
But you have to win the battle
Because your life must be your own

I know your pain
Because I see you crying
The flowers are bursting forth
Every thorn raking your soul
So they can let the sun inside

It’s in here
Our happiness
If we can just forget everything
Except to kiss each another when it rains
And hold each other until the skies clear

I know your pain
My heart finally learned to love
I no longer have to wait
It’s happening to me now
Because you taught me how to pray

You told the old man he didn’t have a young mind
That whatever he once knew he could never find
And even if he did it didn’t matter to a new generation
They know better because they thrive on his indignation

What kind of clown would mock someone so helpless
He can’t prove himself anymore so you call him useless
It was early one day when you decided to be that way
Something happened so now you mock people who pray

The world has become yours just because of your youth
But that doesn’t have anything to do with the truth
I wonder how much you can learn if you reject the past
You’ve had too many wasted mornings that will never last

The bravery of the spoken word matches the fear you create
The easiest thing is to know which side you should hate
Or maybe that’s the hardest until tomorrow comes to save
Either way you can decide then if you were a afraid or brave

The forces that bear upon a man’s life are felt only by him
You can’t take the time to know when you are driven by whim
The activist mind is uncompromising as a wave before it crashes
It may be your greatest love but it leaves nothing not even ashes

There are so many things to be aware of but why are you so sure
To bury an old man as if his life meant nothing that he could cure
To not know how his children loved him even as they grew old
Is to say all you know is all there is in a world who’s story you told

Each note a life
Together a story
Apart a moment
Sufferings glory
Self absorbed
Unable to blend
Yet in common
Pain with no end
There is no brush
Only the point
Sorrows life
Dignity to anoint
Unmistakable feeling
Hidden no longer
Shared reality
Making us stronger
Eyes closed
Memories near
Our desperation
Emotional fear
Anothers world
Becomes our own
And ours his
Tears on loan...