Every year things stay the same
Things have to be that way
We've done it since forever
And that's how it's gonna stay

The tree goes in the corner
Then the tinsel and the lights
Leaving it the same has stopped
So many, many, fights

The music never changes
The films we watch don't change
It's just a family tradition
Though it may seem kind of strange

In the hallway hangs the mistletoe
It's pinned up in the same place
It's where over perfumed aunties
Kiss and slobber on your face

The wreath hung on the front door
Has been fixed over the years
But, nothing has been added
Gran bought it way back when at Sears

The food, now we're talking
I'm surprised we aren't obese
With the butter and the crisco
And all the other types of grease

The women hit the kitchen
While the men all go and drink
For once the feast is finished
It's the mens turn at the sink

The younger ones do clean up
And they help to do the dishes
For as Uncle Leo said if they don't
They'll be swimming with the fishes

There's the same old conversation
About Christmas' long past
There's no talk of politicians
That get shut down fast

There's fewer there each Christmas
Time will wait for not one man
As the elders make their exits
We try the best we can

We try hard to get the dinner
The way grandma used to make
We make sure to put the money
In the dried out Christmas cake

But, as people leave the circle
They take their tradition to the grave
And each year it just gets harder
Knowing which ones we should save

So, as you gather round this Christmas
Sitting in the same position
Don't change a thing...not one thing
And remember it's tradition

The tree still in the corner
The men awaiting dinner's call
And a group of perfumed aunties
Set to kiss you in the hall

Merry Christmas

It wasn't s'posed to happen
Not this way at least
But, as folks always tell ya
It's just the nature of the beast

Go to High school, finish college
Then get married, all to plan
Girl got pregnant, plan averted
Time to step up, be a man

Trouble comes when least expected
It sees you down, it has a feast
Trouble comes when least expected
It is the nature of the beast

A second child, a crap apartment
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Nothing goes the way you planned it
Nothing's working out at all

Rent is due, the bills are mounting
You need to find a better way
Can you fix all that is broken
Or do you just run away

A pretty girl shows some attention
You do not mind it in the least
You then return her sweet affection
It is the nature of the beast

The kids grow up and time passes
Your secret buried deep within
But life at home is still disrupted
And then you do it all again

You harbor guilt for all your failures
It's not your fault, what's gone before
You blame your spouse, it's just too easy
But you can not leave,  walk out the door

The stress it builds just like a fire
Not just yours, hers too increased
She leaves to move on with another
It is the nature of the beast

I just want one last hurrah
Before I ring the bell
One more celebration
A story others tell

It doesn't need to be so grand
But it has to make folks smile
When someone maybe speaks of me
Once I've been gone a while

Maybe I could save a cat
Stuck up in someone's tree
But, I've a decent fear of heights
So, that's no good for me

I could stop a robbery
A hold up at the store
But, since Covid hit I stay at home
I don't go out much more

Something people will remember
But, most days I stay at home
I will not get my last hurrah
So, I'll just sit and write a poem

The words, they tell the story
But the music makes the song
The story disappears
When the volume is all wrong


If you want folks dancing
Sing it nice and loud
Take the hint and listen
Sing it for the crowd

But, if you want to tell...a story
That's when you make a choice
To turn the volume down a bit
Let the people hear your voice

The volume kills the story
But it also sells the song
You'll never have a hit my friend
If you get the mix all wrong

Anthems, scream them loudly
Make the walls fall to the ground
Make it like an earthquake
Just do it with some sound

Get the heartbeats racing
Get the people on the floor
You just won't have it happen
If the volume is at 4

If you want to say I love you
And make folks feel it in their heart
Remember words will express feeling
And lower volume plays a part

So, when you play your music
May you play it loud and strong
Remember turn it down sometimes
Because, the volume sells the song

Roll up Roll up
This will cure all your ills
Throw away the crutches
Dispose of your pills

Keep away from the tent boy
Keep back from the curtain
This is just what you need
To stop all the hurtin'

Roll up Roll up
Mind the glare of my teeth
Avoid my forked tongue
Hide from what's underneath

This elixir's a wonder
More a distraction I'd say
Takes your mind from your troubles
At least for the day

Drink a little, drink a lot
It doesn't matter much
You will soon discover
You can throw away your crutch

This potion will cure cancer
Grow new hair on your head
Help the flowers in the garden
Make you better off in bed

Roll up, Roll up
Buy a bottle maybe two
It's magic like no other
See what it can do

The idea is now planted
Is it fake or is it real?
Will it deliver on it's promise?
Is it really such a deal?

Listen to the barker
Listen to his spiel
Sounds like a politician
Now, how do you feel?

Don't look behind the curtain
You'll hate what you will find
Roll up, roll up and see
It may mess up your mind



Take a drink and you'll get bigger
Take a drink and you'll be small
Take a drink, I'll raise your taxes
To pay for my new mall

Roll up  now to the counter
Roll up here and see
That things with this much promise
Are never cheap and rarely free

It's not Christmas without Santa
Or without the jingle bells
But, in the darkness there's another
Taking children down to hell

Yin and Yang, a balance
There is darkness and there's light
Santa on the left side
And Krampus on the right

Parents watch your children
If they're on the naughty list
Because Krampus is out hunting
And these children are not missed

A myth, or dark reality
A monster from below
Did Johnny just go missing?
Or was he taken down below?

Jingle Bells, both have them
One is joyous, one is not
Santa lives where it is colder
Krampus lives where it is not

Bad children do not fear him
But soon enough, he'll find them out
With dark hair, claws and cloven hooves
They'll learn what he's about

He doesn't have a favorite
He'll take girls as well as boys
He doesn't mind the screaming
In fact, non one hears the noise

So, if a child disappears
And no one seems to care
You'll know he was a bad one
And that Krampus, well, was there

Halloween is here again
I used to love it so
But, now when it's shell out time
My face I do not show

I hide down in the basement
No light will people see
"No Candy Here" upon the door
There's nothing here from me

Ghosts and Ghouls and Spirits
Up my street they creep
But, I see them nightly
When I try to sleep

Four faces of four children
Out to trick or treat
Run down by a drunk driver
While trick or treating on my street

Seven children run down
Time....eight seventeen
Three were injured, four were killed
On that horrific Halloween

Each day for me is Halloween
Each day I hear them screaming
The worst part is that I'm awake
I don't hear them when I'm dreaming

Two who died, I knew them well
Dressed as cowboys on that night
Now they're gone, to ride the range
Their souls have taken flight

The street was closed for near two days
There were many questions asked
And in the end, nothing has changed
The answers hidden by a mask

The driver, he was plastered,
Didn't know what day it was
He's out now, paid his penance
I hope he feels a sense of loss

Myself, I cannot bear it
Every year I stay inside
I see those faces on new children
So, in my basement I will hide

No Candy Here, I'm sad to say
It hurts as much today
I still grieve for those poor children
In my own, respectful way