Hey bro, I think you should know
Before I let you go
If you're still holding out hope
It's the end of the world

So if you haven't yet
Up and packed all your bags
There is little time left
For that or your regrets

You can kiss it all goodbye
Said the spider to the unlucky fly
Said the plane while still in mid-flight
Right above the crash site

All that is left is little left said
You can bet that we've made our beds
Oh and that price on our heads
That's a cost that we've never met

So hey bro, if you didn't know
Down the river we've all been sold
For a pound or two of fools gold
It's the end of the world

Both convicting and convincing
Pointing to what's true and right
My Daddy's worn out Bible
Always comes to mind

The pages torn and tattered
From years of loving use
My Daddy knew what mattered
From his early days of youth

As he poured over the pages
Daily in blood, sweat, and tears
No if's, and's, but's, or maybe's
His God he both loved and feared

Highlighted, both pen and marker
Words that touched his very soul
As the days grew ever darker
He knew the light to hold

And also where his strength came from
In the faithful words he'd read
Of God's grace to us poured out in love
To all who have the need

Both convicting and convincing
Pointing to what's true and right
My Daddy's worn out Bible
Always comes to heart and mind

I stumbled upon an empty Starship
Sitting in an open field
Would you believe me if I said
I took hold the driving wheel

Gazing out the porthole
In a moment of sheer delight
Pressing forward on the throttle
I fired off into the night

With adventure set before me
I left it all behind
One day maybe to return
That is if I change my mind

But with the plan as it now stands
I will bounce between the stars
Only taking time to land
When I've gone long and far

In this Starship I now occupy
I found in an open field
Where it didn't take long to decide
To grab hold the driving wheel

laugh when you find you feel like crying
a smile helps overcome the frown
truth is always best, there's no denying
look up when you feel it all crashing down

good could and should far outweigh the bad
think happy thoughts when feeling sad
forgiveness works best when you also forget
make amends with what little is left

remember to not forget to laugh
when you think you're done, take one more step
the loss can be won when you know that
it looks like nothing is left, there really is

while one hand takes
the other hand gives
make no mistake
live and let live
with fingers wide open
they run like a sieve
sitting here hoping
for anything left

some lips are up
while others are down
i think they call that
a smile or a frown
depends on the circumstance
and who is around
and whether you live
up or downtown

one mood is high
while the other is low
they come on as fast
as they tend to go
don't bother to ask
if you already know
one side says yes
while the other says no

a time to live
a time to die
time's running late
time's on my side
don't hesitate
the time is right
in kind
it's your time

time insists
time unfolds
time to give
time to let go
time is all
some people know
get it hot
before it's cold

time to do
a timely list
time construes
hit or miss
never been
a time like this
take your time
as time ticks

time is early
time is late
time right out
the starting gate
find the time
lost yesterday
time will always
have its say

time in hand
time out of mind
time to stand
time after time
time to move
on its demands
time is now
through out the land

I've seen a man give it all up
I've seen a man muster for all it's worth
I've seen the hand hold out the rusty cup
I've seen a man pass his brother up

I've seen a man fall down on his knees
Begging heaven above, God help me please
I've seen a man that sees no need
I've seen plenty of men in captivity

I've seen a man on the verge of something
More often than not walk away with nothing
I've seen a man stay down when falling
Not like you couldn't see that coming

How many times have I seen a man cry
Yet too afraid to look him in the eye
When I think about it all, I often to find
That too makes me want to cry

I've seen a man open up his heart
Then close it down for all it's worth
I've seen a man go for broke
Gain the world then lose it all

I've seen men captive, I've seen men free
Both of them at times find it hard to see
I've seen men much like you and me
Lay it all on the line and change their destiny

America is broken
Which has most of us bent
For years now we've been hoping
But never sure of when

They'll sweep up all the pieces
And give us back our share
America is broken
Does anybody care

America is broken
And short on super glue
Which only goes unspoken
For those without a clue

We dream of pieces we hope to find
But chances are they're lost
America is broken
Leaving us to count the cost

I barely remember when
I was a young man
Said the old man who sat next to me

Time back then
Was so very different
It's hard at times to even conceive

The friends I once had
Have all up and left
Count them all down as history

I never had
Would have ever guessed
That they'd be set free before me

With the time that is left
Before my death is met
Out on the loneliest of streets

I'll sit here and
Try to remember when
I was a young man footloose and free

With what little time's left
That passes too fast
For the slight of hand to even see

The old man
Thoughtfully said
As he sat down next to me

If you've not yet guessed
There is no rest
This constant battle
Inside our heads
And with that said
We do our best
To soldier on
In this our quest

We take the hill
Each time we kneel
One less bomb to step on
In our mind fields

The enemy
In all we see
Like it or not looks a lot
Like you and me
The air we breath
The hate we bread
The battle thoughts
We need to beat

It's oh so real
**** or be killed
These thoughts we don't want to step on
In our mind fields

You took my feelings
And made them hurt
You took my feelings
And ground them down into the dirt

I hid my feelings
All these years
Till you found them
And added tears

You took my feelings
As if they were on loan
Now my feelings
I no longer own

Except the one
That behind you left
The only feeling
That makes me sad

Why do I hold the short end of this rope
When God freely gives his lifeline
My only hope is to let this rope go
Cause I know my God saves every time

All that I lack only holds me back
From treasure beyond wildest dreams
Not here on earth where nothing is worth
The sight of Heavenly things

I stand in the court of my worthless thoughts
Pilled high with the trash that I've kept
Alone I have fought every battle I've lost
And with that said, Jesus wept

When will I learn the least bit of concern
Over the sin I have that leads to death
Taking from me all I think that I need
Giving God what little is left

When I could give him my all, freeing my very soul
Holding on tight to the hope
Where one day I'll be free, yes free indeed
When I let go of the short end of this rope

To tell the truth they've lied to you
In the realm of reality matters
It's what they do and before they're through
They'll line their pockets fatter

The secrecy that they keep
To make you think that you are free
Most every thing that you believe
Comes from their pockets deep

Those you listen to might say to you
The truth is unbelievable
And what you knew or intended to
Is in the hands of the Pocket People

In their daily moves they blindfold you
Without a cigarette
Then do to you what they want to
Having no regrets

All's not lost as you count the cost
Adding pennies to your spare change
Oh I almost forgot, you silly lot
They'll take it all away

With you on your toes they've grown to know
Forever you'll be needful
Their only hope at the short end of your rope
You'll give it all to the Pocket People

You can tell a lot
about the heart of a man
By the way he holds
a crying child's hand

By the way he feels
the need to keep peace
With those less deserving
him being the highest of these

You can tell a lot
about the soul of a man
By the way he works out
inside of his plans

By the does he once did
he never kept hid
By the courage he has
when he has nothing left

You can tell a lot
about the mind of a man
By the way that he minds
the peace being kept

By the thoughts that he has
in the things that he says
You can certainly tell
a lot about a man

i've never been one to write a love poem
no stretch to see that's true
so mark this down as my last hope
to tell you i'm in love with you

as many does as there are don'ts
as many don'ts as does
this simple fact won't leave me alone
the fact that i'm in love with you

what i wouldn't give to write a love poem
one to make the mountains move
to let you know you are the one
if i wrote a love poem, it would be you

have you ever heard the drivel
that dribbles off some tongues
words that sound so profound
yet at the same time dumb

without a lick of common sense
how do they carry on
straddling the barbed wire fence
that they're hanging on

yet nothing is that simple
for this lot of simpletons
setting free the babbling
comfortably numb

as they continue wagging tongues...

how naive must you be
to think things are going to change
for the better and not the worse
this side of deranged

we are all blindsided pawns
moving to the master's bid
which we've been doing all along
they just kept it better hid

with midnight howls of unity
coming from the pack
while we monkey do monkey see
the Constitution rides in the back

feel free to do what you need to
as long as they approve
checking the facts and all of that
they'll get back to you

is it any surprise they demonize
the need to be free
sign of the times is all but lies
how naive must you be

What do you do when your country leaves you
Out in the dark, out in the cold
You raise concerns but no one believes you
In this world of lost condemned to hell souls

As leaders go these are mostly see through
Emperor's without their clothes
What's good for the goose is not for you dude
So sit down, shut your mouth and do as you're told

What do you do when your country lies to you
Do you like a cheap suit fold
In the back of the rack where they place you
Forgetting you're there until money is owed

Well good luck with that cause here's news for you
We've seen the truth and now we know
So sit down, shut your mouth we're through with you dude
We're Americans here and we can't be owned

With the foxes guarding the hen house
And the chickens running loose
Where would we all be by now
If we had the freedom of choice to choose

Running around with our heads cut off
As they pluck us to the bone
In which to stuff their king & queen size beds
With what little left we own

What used to be normalcy
Let the four winds blow
These days it's more than hard to keep
Foxes in their holes

With nary a hint of the secrets they've kept
Sly foxes that they are
Please be our guest to the latest mess
America's chicken yard

I'm losing it
Standing at the precipice
One foot out in the open
The other stepping off of the ledge

I'm losing it
Falling now as fast as I can
Not exactly what I was hoping
But one that I have grown to expect

I'm losing it
What little I tend to have left
These days I'd say I'm barely coping
And with all of that being said

I'm losing it
Standing at the precipice
One foot out in the open
The other stepping off of the ledge

I just heard of a store
In Washington D.C. of course
A quaint little nook
Called Books By The Foot

Where you order your volumes
Or whatever you call them
To make you look smart
More than you really are

Never once read a chapter?
Well that doesn't matter
Or even a page?
Don't let that get in your way

From checking them out
Just measure your shelf
Then give them a call
They gladly install

Your colleagues will say, who knew!
As they tune to view you in Zoom
With your shelves filled to the gill
Of unpronounceable books you can't even spell

Remember this if you're here to impress
Late night dates or drunk party guests
Give google a nod and a look
They're rightly called Books By The Foot

When you're faced with a dilemma
On the direction you should turn
Dig deep you'll find it in ya
From past lessons you have learned

Be the purveyor of good news
Give the people a reason to sing
Hold on tight and then let loose
...Do the right thing

When the crowd is heading down
While stringing you along
You don't dare echo the sound
On all that can go wrong

No matter the pressure stand your ground
Be it shallow, be it deep
Even if you're the only one around
...Do the right thing

When you are battered to and fro
One side says yes the other no
You might find it hard to cope
Never once give up hope

Let nothing stand in your way
If you must, go against the grain
Anymore need I explain
...Do the right thing

a younger you
every now and then
shows up with a sly smile
mischievous grin
happy go lucky
in your attitude
before the cold world
shivered in you

a younger you
every now and then
shows up to wonder
where have you been
with the mounting of worries
leaving a sickening taste
in what all they feed you
on a daily base

a younger you
every now and then
shows up for adventure
in the remembering when
life was more meaningful
back in the day
before all the simple
fell out of place

a younger you
every now and then
wonders in silence
if it could be done again
the wide eye experience
the innocence
of a younger you
when life you once lived

With the day after Christmas
We return to the normality
Of me not looking at you
And you not talking to me

With hands deep in our pockets
Holding tight the spare change
Where we don't loose what little we've got
Or give too much away

Where all that is seen
Is the blind destiny
As I climb over you
On the rung of what's in it for me

With the day after Christmas
We're back to where we were
Not trying to be
Such good boys and girls

Where a grudge I unwrap
And think bad about you
Wait a minute that
Was the day before too

Where we take peace on Earth
And good will towards men
And pack it away
For another year

Where the Government
Sends us back to the war
With no earthly idea
Of what we're fighting for

Where we don't listen
To the cries of the children
As all of this happens
The day after Christmas

What went through your mind, oh Wondrous Creator
When as baby Jesus you let out your first cry
Did you know at that moment you were the Savior
Of this fallen world and all of mankind

Did you recognize your mother Mary
And see her as your special child
Only you God at such tender a moment
Could give us your all at such tender a time

Did your first sight at creation astound you
As you looked through the blur of finite
From the beginning you'd always seen clearly
In the presence of your Fathers light

Did the warmth of God's Spirit surround you
As the December chill settled over the land
Were you holding the hand of the Father
In the transition from Son of God to Son of Man

When you heard the first bleat of the lambs
Were your thoughts on being the shepherd of man
That would lead all those gone astray
Did you already know of that day

These are questions that I tend to ponder
On the greatest gift the world's ever known
I will praise you for all of the wonder
The first Christmas that the love of my Savior was born

This crazy world's in turmoil
As we all step up to bat
Some may like it this way
Others like it that

In Doris's Day she would say
Que Sera Sera
What will be will be
She wasn't too far off

Are we simply meant to stand here
And watch it all cave in
With a wink and a grin
Into the vipers den

Not standing up for something
Helps cause it all to fall
Never is it soft
Hitting a brick wall

If we're to be our brothers keep
And lend a helping hand
It's best we see in front of me
Plus all that we have left

Some may like it this way
Others like it that
In this world of turmoil
And with that being said

..we're all up to bat

if
you
could see
you
the way we do
then
you
too
would want to
change a thing
or two
about
you
if
you
were
to
let loose
the truth
inside
your
youth
you'd
know who
and what
they did
to change
you
then all
the hoops
that
you
jump through
to please
those
instead of
you
you'd
toss
them out
throw them to
the furthest wind
away from
you

can we have a new beginning
start this all over again
change the basic meaning
to everything that has been

can we call on one another
to throw each other into the mix
with new beliefs and different colors
where i'll be that and you'll be this

change around the ending
from doom and gloom to not this time
can we have a new beginning
or at least give it a try

When will you ever find
There's much more to this life
It's okay to dream your dreams
But at times those dreams need come to light

It's not good to keep your head
Always stuck up in the clouds
When you have feet made of lead
Keeping you from moving off the ground

All the do's I don't
While most of the don'ts I did
Raise my hand cause here I am
Talking to myself again

Then comes along the thought of this
You need try your best to forgive
What you hold against someone
Throw yourself into that mix

If there's fingers here to point
Every aching joint should point back at you
Not going to lie, at least not this time
When it comes down to this truth

All the do's I don't
While most of the don'ts I did
Raise my hand cause here I am
Talking to myself again

Just when you think
You've got it made
The ground will shift
The earth will shake
Earlier
Than it will late
The cosmos never
Do behave

You dodge left
The world slides right
Made in the shade
But not tonight
You often may
But never might
After all
That's just life

In the moving up
They move you out
Before you ring
The final bell
And where's the hand
That holds the help
Now a day's
It's hard to tell

No matter who
Or what you're like
What used to bark
Now just bites
You found your lost
Too late this time
After all
That's just life

I strive to be
The one to see
The good in everyone

Beauty, Beast
Rich man, Thief
Not judged by what they've done

Paying no matter
To the social ladder
How high or low the rung

Which way they lean
Politically
If they reach down or they pull up

I strive to keep
Others needs
Far above my own

At my insistence
To see no difference
Between those who lost and those who won

Make it my mission
To truly listen
To both the old and young

And if I must
To only judge
With the hand of love

Moving through this life
Is how these days I exercise
With the shrugging of the shoulders
Rolling of the eyes

Shaking back and forth my head
In complete surprise
As long as I am in this life
I'll find ways to exercise

In the jumping to conclusions
Flipping out over what I see
I may not be losing that much weight
But certainly my sanity

Waving of the arms daily
Wildly side to side
Who out there can blame me
With the way I exercise

Folks on the right and on the left
Keep my head in spin
Moving ****** muscles
In this idiotic grin

Cause if I did not grin and bare it
I'd blow up twice this size
Life today I swear it
Is my only form of exercise

We promise this and give you that
The rest of it we keep
While deep inside we belly laugh
At a people so naive  

We say we care, what's fair is fair
Without skipping a beat
To tell the truth, we'll cook your goose
Then take away the meat

Behind your backs we hide that
Facts are rarely given
Fill your needs and say it's free
God bless socialism  

Never you mind the long lines
Just for toilet paper
We'll pat your hand say we understand
As we give your stuff to the neighbors

For safety's sake your guns we'll take
To cut down on surprises
Just in case you don't like the way
We deal with this crisis

So sit back relax, we've got this
We've made it our life mission
Problem solved, bend over and cough
God bless socialism

just because it don't slap you
doesn't mean you have a clue
with all you thought you thought you knew
what you think may not be true

just because it stands far off
doesn't mean there's not a cost
in what you save and what you toss
do not let the truth be lost

just because you are not moved
with wild emotions pulling you
to spin you in to where you loose
hold on tight to what is true

Are my best days all behind me
There's no way to tell for sure
No need now to remind me
Today I'm 64

This hill that I've been climbing
The ridge and other side far behind
Hard to believe the me I'll soon enough be
On my way to 65

In this life bite nobody's more surprised
How I ended up here so quick
With half a mind and bloodshot eyes
2 years away from 66

I really should stop this counting
I've only 10 fingers on these 2 hands
And with the nudge of arthritis hounding
Soon enough I'll be 67

Is there anyway to roll these old bones backwards
Being a dollar short and a day late
This old age it ain't for cowards
With knobbly knees on the way to 68

It's hard to hide the telltale signs
Here comes the wind, there goes the time
Before you know it, I'll rightfully own it
The ripe old age of 69

Throwing wide open the curtains on the uncertain
Do I really need to be diving in this deep
Where the moss grows years will show
The shuffling feet of 70

So you see there's no need to remind me
This apple is chewed to the core
With less days ahead than behind me
Today I'm 64

Kindly please, release the tsunami's
Earthquakes and hurricanes
Take whatever disease out of deep freeze
Set the sun up to bake

Have the latest virus reach a major crisis
Where peaceful riots misbehave
And the tornados, can you make those
Skip outside the alleyway

Take what is left of the last economic crash
Just add a different flavor
Long enough so that the next step of keep them on edge
Is the odor that they savor

With the toss of a dime throw in a mudslide
A forest fire or two for good measure
Whatever it takes to keep up the shakes
Don't forget a smidgen of cancer

Throw in a war or a rumor for sure
To keep them afraid of their neighbors
Have them judge men by the color of skin
And not by their best behavior

I'm sure there are others but this pretty much covers
This low rent life with high demand
Like a jilted lover holds onto your number
The consequence of sin

a time of white lies
are running through
ripping the red
burning the blue
what once waved proudly
to a star spangled tune
now seems
to be hanging loose
a bitter pill
this taste of the truth
losing its will
up to the hilt
the red, white, and blue

I've seen the best in men
And also seen the worst in them
Give more love to a stranger
Than they would their next of kin
Murky is the water
In how some people live
With a hit and a miss
Here we go again

Children on the battlefield
Streets in which they live
No warning as the shots ring out
Seldom do they miss
With silence from the general
Public is amiss
Hug and a kiss
Here we go again

With the little we have left
Can we not readily accept
I'm thinking we had better
Before we end up dead
It's every man for himself
In how he butters up his bread
With a swig and a dip
Here we go again

What do you do when the night lets loose
With the splattering of its stars
Watching the colors go through light to dark blue
Happy with where you are

As you gently go out nature stays for count
Ready to fill up the night
With its thousands of sounds drowning the silence out
In this the desert life

You wake in the morn as the darkness slows down
Which sleeps in the heat of the day
The secrets it holds are never once told
As the desert gives nothing away

Then it's back on the horse staying the course
With the destination hard to say
As you wrangle it in from beginning to end
In this the cowboy way

You know what they say about home on the range
Always in the back of your mind
There's a certain heat that nothing can beat
In this desert and cowboy way of life

add this to your memories
if you care to jot it down
of you and me weak in the knees
when we're both around

of the stammer and the stutter
more oft than should be allowed
if you'd like these as your memories
feel free to jot them down

to later show years down the road
when life turns bitter cold
the memories of you and me
faded pages of our love

jot down quickly all you see
if you care to have them last
memories to safe keep
these days of future past

to hold in hand the day we met
along with words we said
you might want to jot this down
if you haven't done it yet

We keep running in our races
But we're going nowhere brother
When will we all face the fact
That we need each other

Red, Yellow, Black, and White
Inside all the same
No matter light of day or dark of night
The family of man

Play the card of ignorance
Where hatred does abound
Loss of life and innocence
Never to be found

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew
What ever mold and make
I am here the same as you
All for heavens sake

I am not like you
And you are not like me
All special in our own rights
If I may speak truthfully

Gay, Straight, Trans, or Lesbian
However you play your song
We all sing the same tune of man
Why can't we get along

All the Nations have a notion
Of how to survive
If we take this any further
None will be left alive

The North, the South, the East, the West
Be it green or be it sand
We're all on this big blue ball together
The family of man

the only difference in
our differences
is the way we talk
the color of our skin

the hope most hold
won't come about
in this fallen world
if we don't figure out

that what we see
is the outside need
to take the in
and set it free

because just below
is the wanting soul
where the heart resides
holding out the hope

to change the shape
what matters much
from the shape of hate
to that of love

Let's sit back, relax
And all count out the cost
As the initial wave of shock
Wears itself thinly off

One side had to win
While the other side sadly saw
The beginning of the end
In what is now their loss

But aren't we still Americans
When all of this is said
Some voted with their hearts
While others with their heads

No need to roll over
And wish that you were dead
With history in the making
We've all gone through worse than this

While a select see a set back
To others it's a gain
What may have come as a flood
To some it's needed rain

True a few must lose
For another cause to win
But when it comes down to it all
Aren't we still all Americans