I used to think the Hobo
Had no idea in sight
Just how hard he had it
In this, his downtrodden life
But lately, the more I see
The more I think he's right
When all he has is his  backpack
To grapple with in life

And here I am with heavy hand
Holding tight the possessions I own
If I only had an ounce courage
To up and let it go
As I sit inside with dim lit mind
This box I call a home
The Hobo that knows more than me
Is out there free to roam

I thought I held all the answers
Told me by society
But never once did question
What it had done to me
The more you have the harder it is
To ever try and give away
So came the wisdom of the Hobo
I met on the street today

We need someone new
To lie to
Someone who
Hasn't a clue
We've run out of options
When it comes to fools
Need a new plan
A new set of rules

Running low on dumb
To follow along
Never once question
What's going on
This mental shake down
Is only half done
This, do as we say
Then move on along

Done our very best
At this major quest
To blindfold the masses
Till there's not a soul left
Empty their pockets
While we fill their heads
With our share of nonsense
With the nonsense we have

A part of life
That I don’t get
Is why people drink
And smoke cigarettes

They often say
It’s an acquired taste
Watching them
All waste away

Rough and tumble
Stumble about
Ordering round
After foolish round

Missing out
Losing score
On what they did
The night before

While holding court
On looking dumb
Coughing up
Another lung

How may say
It’s an acquired taste
As they shake
And bake away

If it were
All up to me
They wouldn’t smoke
Wouldn’t drink

I talk too much
When things get rough
It's all apart
Of my nervousness

Where you're bound to find
I hide behind
More than a few
Misquoted lines

It's how I make
My great escape
From giving my
True self away

All this in spite
Of what I'm like
A country kid
That's kind of shy

With this crutch
That talks too much
To try and hide
His nervousness

If I somehow found out I had only a mouth
Things would quickly tumble South
With no brain to refrain
All the nonsense gushing out

Or what good would be sight if I only had eyes
To gaze out in wonder
Seeing the signs then paying no mind
To one thing or another

What about ears if all I did was hear
But never really listened
To the laughter and cries of other lives
Would I know what I was missing

And then again if I only had hands
Would they know to reach out and touch
Or would they only lie by my wanting side
Never once knowing love

I need all my parts for this work of art
To keep it all in motion
To make any sense out of any of this
Key to my emotions

My 20's were fairly forgiving
For the abuse I put them through
And believe you me there were plenty
Of times I tried to pull the wool

And then, the 30's set in
With their share of aches and pains
It doesn't take a detective
To see that I'm the main one to blame

Then wouldn't you know, 40 grabbed hold
And beat me with a crooked stick
After years and years of hard living
You'd think by now I'd be used to it

50 made its way to the stage in a rage
Wondering at what I had done
A familiar groan to these old bones
Reminding me when invincibility was young

Alas now here in my 60's
Popping Advil like it was candy
With pain sprays and creams in case there's a need
Close by my side where it's handy

Yes, the 20's were fairly forgiving
And with me not being much help
If I had known that I'd live this long
I would have taken better care of myself

But then again...

I just received a letter from PETA
And boy are they ever MAD
Seems the Chicken, I was finger lickin'
Turned out instead, to be a Rat

Must have called the 1-800 number
And started singing like a Stool Pigeon
With the flapping of wings along with the beak
To any who cared to give it a listen

Which brings me back to the letter
I received of cease and desist
Not really sure, who they think they are
but me being a carnivore
Know my rights and won't put up with this

It held all the usual jargon
About Lawyers, Lawsuits, and such
I have no idea what all the fuss is
In having a Chicken over for lunch

So let me tell you people from PETA
Don't get your knickers all up in a twist
If you've never tried, a thing deep Southern fried
Then you don't know, what life truly is