Let me introduce myself
I'm Robert K. Wesson,
Sgt. Retired
I like to say the K was for killer,
But, in fact it was for Knowlton
I have no idea why,
Nobody in our family named that, as far as I know.
Anyway, that's out of the way.
35 years served. Can't give away anymore information than that, it's a national secret. I can say, I can cook a mean chipped beef for 1100 men though.

I served in WWII, lost a lot of friends. I'm 97 years young now, as they like to say. I don't, I gave up counting years ago when I lost my wife, but, folks round here like to put on a show every year I get closer to 100. They wheel a cake into me, have me blow out the candles and then I head down stairs to the commissary for a beer. A light beer mind you, but, still a beer. Anything harder messes with my meds.
Personally, I think they give me the beer to shut me up, puts me to sleep in no time. I'm on pills for blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, one to make me ***, one to make me ****. Won't get into those now, rather unsavory things to chat about.

As I said, I served in the big one, came back relatively unscathed. No physical issues that I know of, but, mentally, I saw things no one should. Things that stay with you for ever. I wasn't front line per se, but, I can't tell you what I did, it's a national secret. I can say though, 100 loaves of bread, I can do that....no trouble at all.
Around here, I'm Grampa Bob, or Gramps, depending on who is working. Not many from my generation here now. Oh, here? I'm at a military home outside of Kingston. Some days, it's great, others, I wished I was gone years back. I wish I was gone in the war sometimes, but, then I would never have met my wife and had the fantastic life I did have. No kids, but, we made do.
Met her once I came home. But, that's another story. Wished I'd gone first though, tough watching her pass, cowardly to say, but, it was rough. I came in here after that. Was having trouble sleeping, concentrating, and generally couldn't take care of myself.
Seems strange a man who could do what I could, I can't tell you though, National Secret and all.  But I could field strip my weapon in the dark in a windstorm, and make stew for 1100 men no sweat.
Well, I came here, before I burned out the house. The local fire department got tired of coming out I guess, made a few calls, and here I be. Sold the house, made enough to do ok here, what with my pension and all too.
I'm not one for reading too much, eyes aren't the best anymore, and my hands, well the arthritis flares up and I can barely move some days. There's a computer in the common area we can use, but, I know all I need to know, and some things I wished I didn't.
Never got used to television, especially after it switched to colour. I didn't get the jokes, and the cop shows? I had the murderer figured out in the first ten minutes, why couldn't they figure it out?
Back to here. I'm an early riser, always was. Get up, shuffle to the sink to do my teeth before they come in and give me the whole whang dang doodle wash and wax to get me ready to face the day.
I used to go to the crafts classes here. They were ok, but, a man only need so many fake leather wallets with horses on them. After all, I've nobody to really give one to. If you want one, let me know, I've lots. Did a few of the Christmas trees in ceramics, but, after a while, I lost interest. The wife loved having the trees around, but, without her, it's not the same. Made about 7 or 8, let the nurses have those.
The nurses, great kids. Not the same as the ones we had in the war. Those....well, those were nurses. They could do anything needed, field strip a rifle, put in an IV under fire, drive a jeep, all without getting those starched white uni's ***** or blood stained. And...without losing their caps. Nurses today? good kids, but, not as tough in my book. Things have changed a lot, no uniforms like the old days, pretty casual, and 5 nurses to do what one would do in one quick visit. Now, 5 nurses, 2 hours to do what?
Anyways, I hear one coming now, so I best go. I know it's not my birthday, and VE day was the other day, so, must be tests again for something. I'll be here if you need a wallet remember, lots to go around. Hope to talk soon,
Just ask for Gramps, they'll get you here.

Everybody's learning how to wash their hands now,
C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
It's about as easy as a certain dance now
C'mon baby, do the Covid Motion
My little baby sister can do it with ease
It's easier than learning your A B C's
So c'mon,  c'mon, do the Covid Motion with me

(chorus)

You scrub your finger tips, c'mon baby
Now front, now back
Well now I think you got the knack...whoa whoa

Remember when you do it, leave some space now
C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
And you must make certain you don't touch your face now
C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
Wash for twenty seconds babe, that's all you'll need
Some soap, and water and I know you'll succeed
So come on, come on, do the Covid Motion with me


(Interlude)

Yeah yeah yeah, do the Covid Motion
C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
When you wash your hands, it's the Covid Motion
Standing still and dancing like the locomotion
It's the way to do it, just listen to me
Do the Covid Motion now 1-2-3
So c'mon , c'mon and do the Covid Motion with me

chorus

C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
C'mon baby do the Covid Motion
C'mon baby do the Locomotion

fade out

Did I say what they said I said
Some I said, not all
If I said the things I'd said
I'd have no time to play ball

I said some things I think I said
Some things came right from me
Some things I said, I wished I said
But those things, let them be

I said some things I said I saw
Some say I didn't say
Some things I saw, I didn't see
I just looked the other way

Some things I said I didn't say
I know, because it's true
I said some things I said I saw
The choice is up to you

There's things I said, that people like
Those things, I know I spoke
The other things I didn't say
Were just written as a joke

If I said the things I said
And you like them, say them too
But the things they said, I didn't say
Some are old, but most are new

I know I didn't say as much
As people said I said
There's more from me, I didn't say
At least that's what I've read

So, sue me if I say I say
Some things I said, but heard
I know it wasn't me that said
I don't know all those words

So, if I said the things I said
Instead of going out to play
I ask you now, to tell me please
Exactly, What'd I say

transcendental mediation
psychic transportation
going somewhere sitting still
turn on tune in
go and never leave
not just your mind has been decieved
sticking flowers in a gun
are we all now having fun
pet sounds, sgt pepper
each one just a little better
trippy hippy
close the door
open another
go and never leave
hear one truth
and then another
who do you believe
watching light
and floating colours
smelling sunshine hues
watching children
scream in horror
on the network news
trippy hippy

We're fighting a great battle
No one knows how long for
We've lost a lot already
We're gonna lose lots more

Washing hands, and distance
Help when you not home
But, you must beware the monster
When your'e by yourself, alone

It watches in the daytime
It just teases in the light
But, watch out in the darkness
The monster comes at night

It attacks you when you're sleeping
By blocking off your air
It attacks just like a ninja
You cough, and bam...it's there

You can't find a position
On your left side or your right
You're senses are alerted
The monster comes at night

You walk around dead tired
Sleep in pockets you can grasp
Asleep, easily waking
One cough leads to a gasp

No one there to help you
Your'e stuck home all alone
Watching reruns on the telly
Playing card games on the phone

Like a good old elm street nightmare
your eyes don't close too tight
You know, you may not wake up
Because The monster comes at night

Be careful when you're sleeping
Sleep leaning or upright
For you may not see tomorrow
Because the monster comes at night.

Come here kids and listen
We're gonna play a game
It's just like tag, a little
And Covid is it's name

The whole wide world is playing
It's a simple game to play
Everyone has cooties
The idea is stay away

The game has no time limit
It may last a month or more
You can win it if you listen
That's what this poem is for

You don't want the cooties
You don't want to be it
The idea is keep your distance
This game may take a bit

One way to block the cooties
From getting in your space
Wash your hands like we do
And do not touch your face

You don't know who has cooties
Who is it and who is not
So, stay close like we tell you
And then you won't get caught

This game is really something
I'll tell you when it's done
Just follow my instructions
And we'll keep on having fun

So, one, two, three...we're playing
Don't let the cooties in your space
Wash your hands like I do
And do not touch your face

I'm dancing with my darling
To the New Covid Waltz
She looked up and she said to me
"I can not see you"
"You're so far away"
For now, that's the way it must be

I remember the time
That we danced until morning
Watching the night turn to day
Now, when we're dancing
I can't even touch you
You have to stay six feet away

I'm dancing with my darling
To the New Covid Waltz
She looked up and she said to me
"I can not see you"
"You're so far away"
For now, that's the way it must be

I remember when we
Would dance in  the moonlight
Cutting a path 'cross the floor
Now with N ninety five masks
And gloves to your elbow
We cannot do that anymore

I'm dancing with my darling
To the New Covid Waltz
She looked up and she said to me
"I can not see you"
"You're so far away"
For now, that's the way it must be

So, remember this
Keep your distance while dancing
Doing whatever you please
Don't get too close though
Please keep your distance
In case one of you happens to sneeze

I'm isolated, waiting
at home with my wife
adapting like others
to our normal new life

a few days, no problem
a week, it's a breeze
but, nobody said
there would be days like these

at first it was easy
cleaning, watching tv
I dusted, did windows
even cut back a tree

i worked in the garage
got my records in line
i found about ten
i didn't know that were mine

i've written a little
tried to keep myself sane
watching tv is trouble
watching people in pain

my hands are all ******
they are rough, dry and raw
they are the worst looking hands
that you ever saw

lotions and ointments
I rub them all in
my joints all are aching
like that man made of tin

we cannot have fires
open fires are banned
we can go on outside
we can't move, we can stand

my wife's in the kitchen
busy counting the rice
she's doing it right
she's counting it twice

yesterday morning
she worked right till night
she sorted the pasta
and she did it by height

the walls have been painted
right to the door lip
she did it real nice
she used a q-tip

i've sorted my hardware
all my nuts, screws and nails
i've got some in jars
i've put others in pails

the floors are all washed
the cupboards wiped too
we're adapting quite well
i hope you are too

when the weather gets nice
i'll go cut my grass
i'll use a ruler and scissors
to help make time pass

this is the new normal
it won't change for a while
so, stay at home please
read this, and then smile

Gates and boards and reels of wire
Garbage by the gates
Driveway overgrown with grass
The factory is a state

Security checks once an hour
To make sure all's still locked
Another business shut it's door
the economy was rocked

Another workplace bites the dust
Another one shuts down
To find the business district here
You've got to leave the town

They're closing up 'bout one a month
Jobs are leaving by the score
When you leave, turn out the lights
And please folks, lock the door

Work is leaving faster than
It has ever in the past
There's more folks on assistance
How long will this all last?

Fifty years a hundred ten
Factories closing shop
There's more buildings that are vacant
Our growth came to a stop

It doesn't matter where you go
It's that **** covid one nine
If you are not essential
Out goes the "CLOSING" sign

It all comes down to profit
You're a number not a name
It doesn't matter where you go
Plant closure is the game

Another workplace bites the dust
Another one shuts down
To find the business district here
You've got to leave the town

They're closing up 'bout one a month
Jobs are leaving by the score
When you leave, turn out the lights
And please folks, lock the door

Today will be much different
Than it was the day before
Things are changing quickly
There is nothing in the store

Help things to get better
Remember, wash your hands
Read a book or listen
To all your favorite bands

Start a list of things to do
Until we meet again
Tomorrow will be different
Let's wait now until then

Stay safe and pay attention
Keep your distance and behave
This thing is far from over
There will be a second wave

Tomorrow will be different
Than things all were today
So, check in with your loved ones
Make a call and just say hey!

Spring has sprung
We know where the people is
If they dont work
For an essential biz

Some guy eats a ****** bat
do dah do dah
All I say is "fancy that"
all the do dah day
keep your distance, give me space
do dah do dah
remember do not touch your face
all the do dah day

wash your hands all night
wash your hands all day
wash your hands and wash them right
and you wil be ok.

keep your groupings under ten,
do dah do day
that goes for women and for men
all the do dah day
stay inside and don't go out
do dah do dah
the virus is all round about
all the do dah day

wash your hands all night
wash your hands all day
wash your hands and wash them right
and you wil be ok.

toilet paper's hard to find
do dah do dah
some folks have just lost their mind
all the do dah day
buying everything in sight
do dah do dah
i've got to say that isn't right
all the do dah day

wash your hands all night
wash your hands all day
twash your hands and wash them right
and you wil be ok.

if we all play by the rules
do dah do dah
and quit acting like ****** fools
all the do dah day
this will pass i promise you
do dah do dah
do what the doctors tell you to
all the do dah day

wash your hands all night
wash your hands all day
wash your hands and wash them right
and you wil be ok.

Remember when you were a child
And you answered back with "I don't care"
Well, it's high time you did
This is the time to care

With the corona virus attacking everyone in sight,
You have to care


IT DOESN'T CARE if you are Chinese, Spanish, American, Canadian, British, Australian, Korean.
IT DOESN'T CARE what color your skin is
Whether you are white, black, brown, yellow or blue
IT DOESN'T CARE if you are straight, gay, bisexual, trisexual, gender transitional
IT DOESN'T CARE if you like horses, or dogs, or cats, or fish or lemmings for that matter
IT DOESN'T CARE if you are a doctor, nurse, stay at home mom, teacher, warehouse worker, priest, homeless, bricklayer, hockey player, nun, librarian, store clerk
IT DOESN'T CARE if you are a celebrity, sports figure, local politician, have one friend or a thousand
IT DOESN'T CARE if you eat vegan, meat, have celiac disease, smoke, vape, eat through a tube
IT DOESN'T CARE if you believe in God, Buddha, are Jewish, Baptist, Agnostic, Atheist, Wiccan, or talk to the trees

GOT IT? IT DOESN'T CARE.

YOU SHOULD CARE.
You told your parents "I don't care". Well, you better start.
CARE about your family, friends, and yourself
CARE about your neighbors, their family, friends, and relatives
CARE about your work mates, their families, friends, and relatives
CARE about the front line workers, theirs families, friends and relatives
CARE about the world.

LISTEN AND LEARN. LISTEN AND DO. LISTEN AND CARE

Don't listen to blowhards who call it a hoax. IT DOESN'T CARE...it's waiting for you if you do
Don't follow the stupid internet suggestions like add bleach to your water. IT'S DOESN'T CARE...it's waiting for you too.
Don't plan on being in Church for Easter. IT DOESN'T CARE...It's waiting for you as well.

GET IT? FOLLOW THE WORDS OF THE MEDICAL EXPERTS, NOT THE POLITICIANS.

IT DOESN'T CARE  who you listen to, but, It's waiting.

START CARING...NOW!!!

LISTEN, LEARN, DO AND CARE. STAY SAFE.

We all have heard the stories
Of spirit ships and ghosts
That sail upon the oceans
And up along the coasts

This tale is a whopper
And I'll not forget the day
So as God is my witness
Listen now, to what I say

We were sitting in the tavern
Telling tales of days of old
When the door, it burst right open
And Bill came running from the cold

His face as white as ever
Like he just had seen a ghost
When we told him that we thought this
He said " I did, just up the coast"

We laughed and ordered whiskey
To warm us up inside
"I did, by gum, I saw it"
"I saw the Nell McBride"

"There's no way that you saw that boat"
"It's been sunk a hundred years"
"A hundred sixty" said a voice
As we tended to our beers

"The Nell McBride was lost boys"
"Late eighteen  and fifty nine"
"You didn't see her Billy"
"She's sunk down in the brine"

" I did" said Bill , "I saw her"
"I was standing  on up the beach"
"She came out of the clouds there"
"Aw, Bill... cut back on the screech"

"I haven't had a drop today"
"And you know, I don't tell lies"
"I saw the Captain up on deck"
"I looked right in his eyes'

The wind was really howling
We all huddled round the fire
As far fetched as the story was
Old Bill, he was no liar

"The Nell McBride was lost at sea"
"All 14 men were drowned"
"The ship went to the bottom"
"And no bodies were found"

The barkeep chirped "We have ghosts here"
"I have seen a few"
"With all those lost at sea near here"
"I believe in them, don't you?"

We laughed at him and Billy
Ghosts, nope, dead is dead
Bill just sat there shaking
He believed the words he'd said

Now, me, I was a pup then
Just a minnow if you please
But, I sat and felt my hair rise up
I'd not heard of ghosts like these

"The last time the Nell McBride"
"Was seen was in ought four"
"Old Johnson, at the light house"
"Said he saw that ship and more"

"They proved Old Johnson crazy"
"All alone out with the light"
"Was just the moon a playing"
"There was nothing there that night"

Another man chimed in then
"Old Johnson was no loon"
"His diary says he say that ship"
"'Twas no trick of the moon"

"Okay then boys, tomorrow"
"We'll meet here and head on out"
"We'll see the ghost out sailing"
"Or we'll see that she is now't"

The wind was really whipping
It was getting louder as they sat
Nobody was heading home
They were safer where they sat

"Ghost ships sail the waters"
"I believe to warn us still"
"I believe The Nell is out there"
"I believe in our boy Bill"

"There's tales of ships and mermaids"
"There's been sighting of great whales"
"Their stories boy's just stories"
"They ain't nothing more than tales"

At this the wind was screaming
Like a wail now or a scream
My hair was up directly
This could only be a dream

"I remember when Mike Watson"
"Said he saw that woman all in black"
"Waiting on her rooftop"
"For her husband to come back"

"I remember that as well" said Bill
"God, old Mike he loved to talk"
"He saw her on the roof in black"
"On the iron widows walk"

So, tomorrow it was settled
We would meet and hit the coast
Watching for the Nell McBride
Waiting for the ghost

"Boys, we never made it"
"We don't talk about that night"
"See, Billy boy, he left us there"
"And he disappeared from sight"

"Turns out Billy Boyle"
"Drowned early in the day"
"Was it his ghost come calling"
"It is not for us to say"

"Bill Boyle washed ashore you see"
"About two...yep he was dead"
"So just was it that came to us"
"And said the things he said"

"There's ghosts out on the water"
"Like the ghostly  Nell McBride"
"I swear and cross my heart now"
"But, boys...you must decide"

Sunday morning silence
Like the eye inside a storm
The street was empty, vacant
This would be the brand new norm

The windows all were shuttered
The doors were closed up tight
No one in Cy's doorway
To recover from the night

The church doors were both open
A note pinned to the door
The back, open to the alley
The note, "pray" and nothing more

Giannis, door was locked up
Joe was sleeping in the back
A note said "order through the window"
The window, open just a crack

The bar was also locked tight
A note said "coffee, but no beer"
"yell through the broken window"
"Don't worry we will hear"

Broken Spines had in the window
A large note for all to see
The note said "Cooking up some chili"
"Come back here around three"

Cy came in the back way
Taped his note up on the door
"Don't worry about paying"
"Call if you need more"

The street was still in motion
It had life, but none to see
Today, and for a while
The street folk lived for free

The city closed the main roads
The street, forgotten to most folk
The old man, sat on the curbside
Looking up, he lit a smoke

People ordered up their coffee
Got themselves a bite to eat
Stood in line outside, all waiting
Social distance...now six feet

Most folks on the street now
Lived above their stores or near
The street was still in action
Strong and silent, cloaked in fear

While life was now adapting
A sound, blew by upon the air
The Bluesman, oh so gentle
Was singing, but, from where?

The alley by Gianni's
Was empty, not a sound
But, still there heard the music
With the singer not around

The music, it got louder
The wind brought it to the street
The stores opened windows,
To hear the Bluesman's vocal treat

It took some time to figure
Where the music was relayed
He was on Gianni's rooftop
He just sat up there and played

A special Sunday concert
With stops for "medicin" now and then
Brought the street folks altogether
They were one now, once again

The Bluesman sang The Beatles
He sang U2, he sang the Band
He sang all the Guthries
He sang about the land

He sang of inspiration
Of not being all alone
How we were in this together
His message simple, inspired tone

He sang songs that got you dancing
In the stores, that's what they did
All alone, but, with the Bluesman
Dancing like a little kid

Some sang, but no one heard them
They sang loud and didn't care
They were exactly like the Bluesman
Singing proudly to the air

He sang for near an hour
Folks below yelled up their praise
The Bluesman brought The street together
In the most beautiful of ways

He finished up by singing
Two songs that made this right
He sang "Imagine" by John Lennon
Then he gave them "Silent Night"

He made his way down slowly
He was older than he was
He did this for his people
He did this just because

People started singing
You could hear it all around
But, the Bluesman grabbed some chili
Found his tent, and hunkered down

Inspired, I would say so
That is just life on the street
A group of flawed, broke people
You'd be lucky should you meet

A family, but not really
They were one, but, many too
No one here is really special
They are all like me....and you.

I remember it like yesterday
50 years back, more or less
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

She sang songs about rebellion
of love and hate and less
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

She lit up the world
In 1971
She burned bright as a comet
She was there, and then...was done

The bar was almost empty
Most nights it was I guess
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

I remember when she saw me
We connected, I confess
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

She lit up the world
In 1971
She burned bright as a comet
She was there, and then...was done

Word spread out about her
She was primed to have success
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

An agent came and watched her
A low life lizard known as Jess
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

She lit up the world
In 1971
She burned bright as a comet
She was there, and then...was done

Promises were made to her
She heard his pitch, and she said yes
She was singing with an old guitar
She wore a faded yellow dress

I saw her climb the charts that year
She was a shell, a real hot mess
She no longer had an old guitar
She now wore hot pants, not a dress

She lit up the world
In 1971
She burned bright as a comet
She was there, and then...was done

You could see she was a puppet
A golden goose for lizard Wes
She no longer had an old guitar
She now wore hot pants, not a dress

I heard she died, an overdose
I wasn't shocked, I must confess
They buried her in Hollywood
She wore a faded yellow dress

She lit up the world
In 1971
I remember her old guitar
And her faded yellow dress

Every morning while it was dark
He'd wake and pack his boards
With plastic men, his soldiers
To do battle with no swords

He'd put them in his basket
Load them all into the cart
He'd have a tea and bagel
And then, his day would start

He would walk from his apartment
To the park, before the sun
Two miles and a quarter
Just past highway eighty one

There, inside the complex
In the middle of the park
He'd play chess, against all comers
And he'd stay 'till after dark


A prodigy at ten years old
He would beat men three times his age
He would sit there in stunned silence
As they stormed around in rage

A master by his eighteenth year
He hadn't lost on his home ground
He would play and play and nothing else
To the chess board he was bound

Although he had his title
He couldn't leave to play
If he left the country
Then, back home is where'd he stay

He played some competitions
Made his points to climb the list
But, still he kept on thinking
Of the games that he had missed

I saw him in Toronto
Playing for a buck a game
He played against  all comers
The result, always the same

His accent was a harsh one
His beard was slightly rough
With some he'd be a softie
With others, he was gruff

Each day he'd make the journey
Pull his boards down and set off
He'd joke about while playing
And at bad moves he would scoff

"In Russia, they would shoot you"
"If you made a move like that"
Was he lying in the bushes
Should you move or just stand pat?

He moved on down to Yonge Street
When the park land all was sold
No one knew just why it happened
He went there, and it was closed

On a small street down by Eatons
He moved his boards so he could play
He didn't need to walk there now
He could now go by subway

There was more room here for players
To learn at this man's feet
They would line up with their dollars
Knowing full well, they'd be beat

The crowd that came from Yonge street
To see this rock star of the board
Were much different from the park folk
But to this street they poured

College players, bankers
Strippers from the Zanzibar
would come and drop their dollar
Then lose and find a bar

As time went on, his game it changed
He'd take more time for his moves
He would talk more as distraction
And once I saw him lose

His brain was getting fuzzy
Age was now taking a toll
Time, it owned his body
But the board still owned his soul

He'd flirt with the young maidens
Showing cleavage in the sun
One girl even flashed him
Because she thought she'd won

He joked about her actions
Told the crowd that it was nice
He joked that if she showed some more
He'd let her come close twice

As time went on the master
Didn't come downtown each day
He'd stay at home in silence
Downtown was far away

He dreamed of heading home again
But, he knew that couldn't be
Then we saw him on the news one night
On the local CBC

He played downtown for seven years
He last played in 85
He took sick and nearly passed on
Thankfully, the master did survive

His name was Josef Smolij
He was Polish, but we thought
He was Russian from his comments
Made when our bad moves were caught

His absence still is felt there
Gould street it was his space
The area he used to play
Is now called Hacksell Place

He left and went to Europe
Germany became his home
But still down there off Yonge street
The old chess ghosts still roam

I remember playing Smolij
I remember it was hot
I lost and then he told me
"Back in Russia...you'd be shot"

He was 60 when I played him
He'd be 99 or so
I'm glad I got to meet him
The Master known as Joe

I got the news this morning
Not the way to start the day
Another friend had fallen
I now grieve for Johnny Ray

I can not hide my feelings
I'm not sure how to feel
I wait for him to phone me
This just does not feel real

Let's celebrate his life though
Not with prayer, let's sing and yell
We know that he will hear us
Up in heaven raising hell

When you lose a loved one
There's things they say to do
But, ***** that, let's get rowdy
Let's do something loud and new

Remember them through music
Do it loud so they can hear
Sing, shout, be vocal
They're gone but they're still near

Tonight we will remember
On the stage we'll sing and yell
So Johnny Ray can hear us
Up in heaven raising hell
Yep, Johnny will sure hear us
Up in heaven raising hell

I'm a graying aged gunfighter
Time to get out of the game
I can not see to shoot my gun
I can not see to aim

I used to be the best there was
The top of every list
Now I can't hit a **** barn door
I shot at one and missed

I could out draw anyone
Who faced me on the street
Now, I'm more than likely
To put a bullet 'tween my feet

I play a little poker now
Spend my days just passing time
I break even mostly
The way I play, well, that's a crime

No one round here knows me
They don't know about my past
To them I'm just a codger
I don't do one **** thing fast

I noticed things were changing
Ten years back I'd say
I had a gun fight in Dodge City
And it didn't go my way

I threw down with some punk kid
He was drunk and really ******
I got my gun stuck in my holster
He fell down, he shot, he missed

I walked to him now laying
In the street, out cold, not dead
I took his gun and holster
And then went home to bed

A gunfighter of substance
Would have killed me where I stood
Was I lucky he was drunk then?
Or was I losing it for good?

I packed my stuff up in the morning
I left the town later that night
The next fighter might be sober
And I'd not survive that fight

I took off for the desert
Made plans just where I would go
A state where I could hide out
Where my past, no one would know

On the way I stopped and practiced
Shot some cactus and some trees
I was shooting though at rabbits
I can't survive here eating these

One day, a rogue coyote
Came and took me by surprise
I shot a tree, it fell on him
I aimed between his eyes

The sooner I got settled
The safer I would feel
Too much longer in the desert
I'd end up some varmints tasty meal

I rode on in to where I am
I can't tell you just what town
I've got to keep it secret
Or I may just get shot down

I have a small room at the hotel
I play cards to pay the rent
I speak with a slightly muddled accent
I try to be a southern gent

I've been here now for near six months
The town is growing fast
So, my time here might be cut short
With the future, comes my past

For now I just play poker
An old gunfighter at heart
One day I know they'll find me
I'll go to boot hill in a cart

I'm an aged old gunfighter
There's not many still around
I'm hiding now from my last gunfight
That will put me six feet in the ground.

https://soundcloud.com/roger-turner-7247424/im-dating-taylor-swift

I walk the stones each Sunday
I leave flowers as I walk
Not for certain people
Just in case the spirits talk

I left a rose for Eleanor
Gone 100 years
Just to let her know that
Someone still sheds tears

There's lots to learn while out here
Walking through the stones
Listen close to all the voices
That aren't as silent as their bones

There are soldiers who died fighting
For freedom they did die
From the beginning of our country
Who now beneath us lie

They fought the revolution
Some fought in Vietnam
Some died lost deep inside themselves
Now, folks don't give a ****

There's many here of children
From the old orphan home
They found them buried out in back
So, there their spirits roam

The grass is kept up nicely
Though the stones are left to rot
I try to clean them up a bit
I guess I'm all they've got

I started out just walking
Now, I clean the stones while here
I give them the respect they miss
I can feel their spirits near

So next time you're out walking
And you want to stretch your bones
Bring a brush down to the graveyard
We'll take a walk among the stones

I saw her every morning on my walk
i always waved back as i passed
she stood there staring never looking down
and waved her hand across the glass

she never saw me waving from the street
the girl was blind, had always been
still i waved back as i passed her house
a wave returned but never seen

I dreamed that she waved back
The girl would wave at me
But, just who was I fooling
Knowing that she could not see

She'd wipe the condensation
It felt so good on her hand
She couldn't look to see me
I was in another land

The girl up in the window
Watching, seeing no one pass
Sitting there in silence
With her hand upon the glass

But every morning as I'd walk by
I would wave to her up there
Sitting, watching nothing
With a red bow in her hair

I know she couldn't see me
She couldn't see me wave
She didn't know about me
Or the smile that I gave

I walk by every morning
Hoping one day that she'll see
Me giving her a gentle wave
And she will wave at me

I think that I'll just sit a spell
And reminisce a while
About the people and the things
Now gone, that made me smile

A short trip back to yesteryear
To all the  things I miss
I think that I'll just sit a spell
And I will reminisce

I know I'm getting older, but,
You know time moves so fast
It's much more of a comfort
Looking backward to the past

I remember when the tv set
Went off after the news
When  gym class was the only time
You went out with running shoes

When country still had western
And rock, it still had roll
When AM ruled the airwaves
And R & B had soul

I think that I will sit a while
And I will reminisce
About the things now long gone
And all the things I miss

Another year is finished now
So I think that once again
I'll think about the things
The things I miss from way back then

I miss people more than ever
I think of them and smile
I hope their smiling too
While I think back for a while

I'm sitting in the darkness
Thinking of what I'm missing
Another year older
I'm sitting here reminiscing

My life may be a train wreck
I drink hard to hide the pain
Even though I am a train wreck
I'm still the driver of this train

Haven't been derailed as yet
But,  I've almost left the track
Even though I am a train wreck
I keep on coming back

I've spent some time in lock up
Just in county for a night
For being drunk in public
And a few times for a fight

My life is heading nowhere
But I'm making **** good time
My life is just a train wreck
Brother, spare a dime

The rabbit hole is calling
Do I venture down to see?
Do I listen to the voices?
Even if the voice is me

I'm a train wreck set to happen
I went to church once to confess
I passed out while I was waiting
Even sober, I'm a mess

I won't go into details
About the mistakes I have made
Let's say in life's account book
I didn't make the grade

My life it is a train wreck
One day I'll leave the rails
It's a 50 50 bet though
I chose heads and I get tails

One more drink tonight though
Then some shelter from the storm
I'll find a dumpster somewhere
One that's full so I keep warm

My name it's not important
You won't remember, so don't ask
I can see the whole way through you
There are cracks there in your mask

Let me live in silence
Let me die the same way too
My life it is a train wreck
And there's no room here for two

Christmas is for children
That, we know is true
But, what defines a child
I don't know, do you?

The spirit and the magic
Is the same at 99
As it it to a small child
And I think that is fine

A child may be younger
But, inside it still lives on
We are still all Children
Though our childhood is gone

Christmas is for children
It's just so special through their eyes
The joy of gifts and sharing
You just cannot disguise

It doesn't really matter
Christmas is a time for all
The older and the youngsters
The short folks and the tall

Christmas is for Children
It's as plain as day to see
I enjoy it like a child
Christmas is the world to me

Merry Christmas

If the music doesn't grab you
You will not hear the words
If the music doesn't grab you
The story's never heard

If you want to tell a story
And you tell it in a song
The music has to grab them
Or you're doing it all wrong

A melancholy melody
Won't get the point across
If the music doesn't grab them
The story will be lost


If the music doesn't grab you
You will not hear the words
If the music doesn't grab you
The story's never heard

The music must be catchy
It needs to have a hook
The story will just lie there
Lost deep inside a book

The music is just background
The story is the words
But, man, if you don't grab them
You're story won't be heard

If the music doesn't grab you
You will not hear the words
If the music doesn't grab you
The story's never heard

Two days to go
Then we're into November
Then thirty days on
We start on with December

The penultimate day
Before Halloween Eve
I was visited by...
well...read on and believe

I had just settled in
And was just off to bed
When I heard a small voice
And the voice, well...it said

"Roger, wake up"
I pulled my pillow in tight
The voice was the tacos
I had eaten that night

It said it again
More loudly and stern
"Roger, GET UP"
"You have so much to learn"

I rubbed at my eyes
The room was quite dim
Not sure if the ghost
Was a her or a him

It hovered about
A foot from the floor
"I'm the first one you'll meet"
"Later on, you'll meet more"

I said to the ghost
"Come back in December"
It said "Listen up..."
"you have lots to remember"

"A Halloween grinch"
"That is what you now are"
"Touch my hand, and we'll go"
"We have got to go far"

"What do you mean?"
I asked the spirit before me
It said "I am here to help out"
"just follow and see"

"you once had the spirit"
"Halloween was such fun"
"You would love to go out"
"Now, your spirit is done"

"Halloween is for children"
"Just leave me alone"
Then the spirit reared up
And it let out a moan

"Touch my hand now"
"Or the next ghost to creep"
"Into this bedroom
"your soul it will reap"

Against my free will
I did as the ghost said
I figured that if I didn't
I'd not get to bed

"Hold on and we're off"
"Heading backwards though time"
"To Halloween's past"
"To the scene of the crime"

The place where we landed
I knew as a small child
I saw my old friends from school
This was really quite wild

Trick or Treaters abound
Running from place to place
Dressed in flammable clothes
With cheap masks on their face

I saw the Ranger,
A pirate, or three
Then I looked and I noticed
That one pirate was me

"You loved running round"
"Getting candy and such"
"But, now something has changed"
"You don't like it too much"

The vision it faded
I was older but still
I was out trick or treating
It was still quite a thrill

"Remember the feeling"
"You had with your friends"
"We must bring it back"
"Before the night ends"

I looked and I smiled
At the costumes we wore
Yelling Trick or Treat loudly
As we knocked on each door

"My time it is waning"
"We must head on back"
"Another will come"
"To get you on track"

The next thing I knew
I was back in my room
The spirit had vanished
Then I heard a loud boom

"ROGER, GET DOWN HERE"
I heard from below
"WE HAVE TO GET MOVING"
"GET UP...DON'T BE SLOW"

I followed the voice
To the kitchen and there
I saw the largest ghost ever
Sitting drinking my beer

"I've looked all around"
"You haven't got candy"
"So, I grabbed a beer from the fridge"
"You could say it was handy"

I looked at the ghost
Dressed in orange and black
Where are we heading to?
And when will we be back?

He laughed at me then
Said "You'll be home in time"
"Touch my hand and we're off"
"Right now, you are mine"

I asked if the visions
I was going to see
Were recent incarnations
Of my friends and me

He answered "of course"
"You must see what you are"
The first stop we made
Was up the street at the bar

"See that sign there?"
"A big Halloween Dance"
"Are you going to that?"
I said "No, not a chance"

"I'll work if I must"
"I will drive all about"
"I'll go hide in my basement"
"So, I will not shell out"

"I hate Halloween"
"I just cannot abide "
"It's legalized begging"
"So, downstairs I will hide"

He showed me some houses
"They think just like you"
"Their porch lights are off"
"They hate Halloween too"

"See" I then said
"It isn't just me"
"It's gotten too costly"
"To give candy out free"

"Listen, you fool"
"That is not why it's done"
"Forget all the candy"
"Remember the fun"

"We have to get back"
"My time it draws near"
"We'll stop off in your kitchen"
"So, I can grab one more beer"

We arrived at my house
The spirit pointed and said
"Have you regained your spirit"
"Or is your spirit still dead?"

I said "maybe some"
Then he disappeared
Then the final ghost showed up
The one that I feared

It was dressed all in black
There was smoke all around
It was floating, not standing
Three feet off the ground

It said not a word
But, held it's hand to me
I thought , I'm not going
What was there to see?

We were off in a flash
I knew the street we were on
It was the one where I lived
The street lights were off, wires all gone

My house was in darkness
The front screen was ripped
I walked up to the house
And I suddenly tripped

There was garbage and lumber
All over the yard
Finding my way it the dark
Was really quite hard

There were eggs on my windows
And then a group of kids came
Then I smelled smoke
And then I saw the first flame

They were burning my house
And the others as well
The street was all vacant
It looked like urban hell

The spirit just floated
Did not utter one word
The sound of the burning
Was the last sound I heard

We went on from there
Saw kids at a party at school
The teacher told them
"Remember, our rule"

"Don't trick or treat children"
"Unless your parents come too"
"It's no longer safe"
"They must come out with you"

I said to the spirit
"Not safe? that just mad"
I though of the past
And the fun that I had

"It isn't the future"
"Say it's not true"
"I must make amends"
"I know what to do"

I awoke in the morning
Halloween was today
I got dressed in a hurry
And I got on my way

The first stop I made
was for candy and stuff
I spent eighty dollars
I hoped it was enough

I rushed home from work
Turned on my front light
I then dressed as a pirate
I would do it up right

I can't tell a soul
Who'd believe what I've seen
But, I can promise I'll never
forget Halloween.

Raise a glass of freedom
Toast the changes coming
Listen to the future
It's roaring in, not humming

A voice lost to the ether
Told us 50 years ago
Raise a glass of freedom
Now, it is his time to go

The name, it doesn't matter
You know of the man I speak
His words forever with us
The man, was never weak

His name is one of legends
First his father, and his sis
But, he didn't hang upon it
His choices were all his

So, Raise A Glass of Freedom
Let it echo in the halls
Toast now to Peter Fonda
And grab life by the *****

It's time to light the lanterns
Keep them lit real bright
For someone's out there hunting
On this the darkest night

Each Halloween folks say
A creature breaks the veil
And runs off with a child
And therein lies our tale

Keep watch when you are camping
Or just walking in the park
You don't know if it's watching
To take you far into the dark

They say it is a moss man
Made of spanish moss and sticks
Light and ninja quiet
You don't know just who he'll pick

The story tells of many
Who've gone missing through the years
Some say it's just a legend
To play upon our fears

Look around the circle
See the person close to you
Hold their hand real tight now
Before they're taken too

Feel a breeze so soft and gentle
Hear the wind there in your ear
Take care now when you hear it
You don't want to disappear

A creature from the dark times
As old as time they say
A thousand years or older
Still, it's hunting to this day

Feel that tickle on your ankle
Hear that twig break there behind
Is it coming now to get you?
Or is it only in your mind

Keep the fire burning
If you are camping in the wood
And have somebody watching
For when it's out, it is no good

Do you listen to it's whispers?
Do you try to run away?
Protect yourself with light now
And live to see another day

It's waiting and it's watching
From a distance or real near
Is that the animals there moving
Or is it him that you may hear

No one know where he is hiding
Those taken, never seen
You don't know he's out there watching
Hiding in his coat of mossy green

They say it once was human
But, through magic, is no more
The moss man, is he legend
Or is the moss man local lore

Light the lanterns, and sleep tightly
Make it to the new days sun
Count all those around you
For tonight,you may lose one

Feel a tickle, hear a whistle
Hear a twig, or gentle voice
Sleep tightly or keep watching
It's up to you, you make the choice

Goodnight Campers.

Christmas was just two days away
The letters were all sorted
One of them was pulled on out
And to Santa was reported

A young girl asked a question
Dear Santa, she did say
How can you love most everyone
Each and every single day?

You have your list of children
Some are naughty, some are nice
You review the list quite carefully
I'm told you check it twice

Santa read the letter
It gave the old man quite a jolt
A question from this little girl
Hit him like a  lightning bolt

She asked about the adults
How could Santa love them too?
Especially the bad ones
Who do the naughty things they do

What about the children
Who are not Christian in belief?
This short and simple letter
Was giving Santa Claus some grief

He thought about replying
Tell her how he felt this love
But, he knew he could do better
It was then push came to shove

He called down to the stables
Ordered Comet be made ready
He was told "It's nearly Christmas"
He won't be flying steady

Santa said "I need him"
"There's somewhere I must go"
"There's a little girl out there somewhere"
"And there is something she should know"

Santa went and got his parka
Comet readied for some air
Santa had to give his answer
He thought that this was fair

Two nights before Christmas
Santa set out, Comet too
To tell this girl his reason
It was something he should do

Somewhere down in Kansas
Sleeping deep inside her bed
The little girl was dreaming
Christmas thoughts did fill her head

Down the young girls chimney
Santa came without his sack
It was two days on from Christmas
And he knew that he'd be back

He crept up to her bedside
Leaned on in and whispered low
He told her, it was Santa
There is something you should know

I love all the worlds children
They are innocent and free
They choose to be so open
Innocence is the key

Innocence, it surrounds them
In time the innocence is lost
You aren't born to hate
Innocence burns off like frost

I love all the worlds  children
Adults once were children too
They were born without their darkness
The same as me and you

I love on different levels
That is why I have the list
That's why I double check it
To ensure no one's missed

So, I do not love them always
But for a short time,  I do
The change is loss of innocence
It isn't all that new

Believe and you will feel it
My love for all the world
Now sleep, and wait for Christmas
You are a special little girl

He left and she lay sleeping
He made it home by break of day
Comet went back to his stable
Santa put his suit away

He had a cocoa and a cookie
It  made him feel much  better
It had been a huge adventure
Started by a single letter

Keep the faith and innocence
In the season winter kissed
And know that every person out there
Is always on one list

Remember, write your letters
Ask your questions, do not fear
For maybe, maybe one day
Santa will come and whisper in your ear

Country Attitude

Here I come
Check me out
You can see it in my walk
Listen, to my  velvet voice
It's even in my talk

I  have a certain swagger
That's so ****, and not lewd
This girl knows where she's going
I've got that country attitude

I've  got the look
Of country cool
I've got country attitude
This girl's in charge
I  break the rules
I've got that country attitude

Like a good smooth bourbon
From Kentuck
To be with me
Takes more than luck
I  want a man
not just a dude
To share my country attitude

I'll chew you up
and spit you out
So, treat me good
With out a doubt
The way I  look
Is misconstrued
I'm full of
Country Attitude

I've got the look
Of country cool
I've got country attitude
This girl's in charge
I  breaks the rules
I've  got that country attitude

I met her many years ago
Not knowing where we'd head
It took a while to find out
Then we ended up in bed

Love is a slow moving thing
Not quite the same as lust
The one it has no feeling
The other, it needs trust

Work it right and you will find
That love will come around
It's just like starting a new path
You hold the grass down to the ground

Like a snail moving a boulder
The speed is not that fast
But, with time and trust you'll learn that
Love will surely last

Love is quite a fragile thing
You can find that in a fight
Love can turn to hate real fast
Hate is the speed of light

So, take your time, be careful
Know which is love or lust
Hate is always waiting
To turn one of them to dust

Gianni's hadn't opened yet
But, the bar was going strong
If you listened, in the distance
You heard the working of a song

The regulars were present
The Captain, Soldier and the kid
The bartender was cleaning
'Cause that was what she did

The sun, well, it was shining
It was a great day all around
And in the alley sat The Blues man
Sitting still upon the ground

Nothing, any different
Than most any other day
The street folk passing greetings
While the Blues man chose to play

The bell above the bar door rang
As a stranger came on in
The dust hung in a sunbeam
Falling  from the old bell of tin

In back of old Gianni's
The Blues man played a Dylan tune
He slid right into Guthrie
It was a perfect afternoon

The stranger grabbed the bar's end stool
He ordered up and looked around
Then he said, "excuse me barkeep"
"Just exactly, what's that sound?"

She said it was The Blues man
He's a legend on the street
The man said, "sounds intriguing"
"He is someone I should meet"

The Captain ordered up a shot
The juke box started playing
In the corner sat an old man
Not quite sure if he was staying

The barkeep quizzed the stranger
Said "You're off the normal route"
"Most stranger get directions"
Then he pulled a card out of his suit

He said his name was  Edwards
He wasn't lost, he had a plan
He'd heard about the music
Now he came to meet the man

"It says here you do A & R"
"You can sit here and can listen"
"But, The Blues man isn't gonna talk"
"You have nothing that he's missing"

The music in the bar was rock
Out in back, a bluesy lick
You could listen to the tunes inside
Or go out back, you had your pick

"Can I at least go out and see him?"
"You can but won't get far"
Then she put his card with others
She had collected in a jar

"You see those cards all in there?"
"Thirty three more just like you"
"Have come around here snffing"
"Like he's some creature in a zoo"

"See that girl there in the corner?"
The man nodded that he did
"Talk to her, she'll tell you"
"She runs the book store, she's his kid"

The Blues man played some Chapin
Let loose on Thunder Road
Took a small sip from his hip flask
It was hidden, rarely showed

The man asked for an ashtray
Was told "you cannot smoke in here"
"But, the old man in the corner..."
She said sssshhhh, and poured a beer

"The folks round here have stories"
"Some good, and some are bad"
"He's the only one that I let smoke"
"The old man's story is quite sad"

"Stick around a while, see"
"Just what makes the street click"
"There's a hundred different stories"
"Look around and take your pick"

"But, what about The Blues man?"
"I can give him things he hasn't got"
"You will learn sir, that possessions"
"Make him something he is not"

"He plays music in the alley"
"He does't know if you are there"
"He plays what his soul is feeling"
"He'll play to you, or to the air"

"Your best bet, is to sit here"
"Leave him be, don't light the fuse"
"You may set him on a tangent"
"And he just may lose his muse"

"He's a part of everybody here"
"He's a savior, and a sage"
"He's The Blues man to the street folk"
"But, he's from a different age"

"Have a beer, talk to his daughter"
"Play some darts, the beer's on me"
"My advice, I hope you'll take it"
"Is to let The Blues man be"

"Go back to where you came from"
"Tell the folks who sent you here"
"That The Blues man declined nicely"
"And then you two shared a beer"

He smiled, looked to the corner
Ordered one more, "I concur"
"while you're pouring out my lager"
"pour one more drink for her"

He went off to the corner
Introduced himself and sat
Never mentioned his profession
And that they say is that

The Blues man played some Johnson
The A & R man stayed a while
He looked back toward the barkeep
She looked back, and shared a smile

Do I get another?
The game's still on t.v.
It's getting on for 10 p.m.
I've been sitting here since 3

My wife said I should call her
But, my phone is in the car
The car is in my driveway
And I am at the bar

I stopped in for a minute
7 hours now have passed
I've had 11 beers, 5 shots
And man, I think I'm gassed

I think I left my keys as well
With my phone inside the car
I think that I should call my wife
And tell her that I'm at the bar

I only live three blocks away
I went walking with the dog
I stopped in just to grab one beer
******* where is my dog?

I'll order up just one more shot
Okay, two beers as well
Where the hell'd I leave the dog?
Is that the last call bell?

It took a bit of courage
Whiskey and Cigar
I spent the day working on it
Sitting in my local bar

I planned it out precisely
I'd drop by her place by eight
I kept building up my courage
I made sure I wasn't late

She let me in and kissed me
I lit a smoke and grabbed a drink
She went into the bedroom
I had five minutes more to think

I poured myself another
Put the smoke upon the glass
I went into the bedroom
And then it came to pass

It started with three little words
She started as my friend
And now again, three little words
Put this friendship at an end

The three words were I love you
And those words made her cry
The three words now were different
Sorry, and goodbye

I left the glass upon the table
The cigar, I left that too
I left and she was crying
It was what I had to do

The courage that I needed
Had expired as I spoke
It was resting on her table
A glass of whiskey and a smoke

Nothing left in this old town
I felt I didn't have much choice
I jumped on board a west bound freight
It was there I heard the voice.....

"Boy, this here is my car"
"You keep the rules, and you'll be fine"
"I don't know you, you don't know me"
"Boy, this car is mine"

I squinted in the darkness
I tried to focus on the sound
That voice there in the boxcar
As rough as any I had found

I asked him where he came from
He spoke but wasn't clear
Everywhere and Nowhere
And right now from right here

Now boy, Keep your distance
Keep quiet, leave me be
I don't like conversation
You keep to you, and I to me

Just then, the train car shifted
That there's the final shunt
You're safe now boy inside this car
The rail men stopped their hunt

He said that there shunting noise
Is the starting of a song
The train soon will start moving
Everyone is moving on

While the cars are stagnant
You know, not moving, sitting still
The rail men all go hunting
For us hobo's , if you will

That shunting sound is heaven
It means we are onto who knows where
And frankly boy, you know deep down
It really isn't fair

I asked him what he meant by that
He said, I've said enough
As time goes by, you sound some smart
You'll pick up on this stuff

The silence then took over
He was sleeping, so did I
He was snoring quite contently
I couldn't find sleep, I wonder why?

About an hour later
He sparked a match and smoke
And again from in the darkness
The hobo, well, he spoke

Boy, you are a new one
You could have killed me where I lay
But, boy, I trust your scared some
So, I guess I'm safe today

T'was a time a decade back
Got knifed, real hard and deep
Taken by another jumper
While I tried to have a sleep

Hadn't make that choice before
Most times I'm here alone
But, it was cold and wintry like
And I threw this boy a bone

See, it's dangerous riding rail cars
We are all on here to hide
And sometimes, well then, most times
This is not a pleasant ride

You know you asked my name back there
I ain't heard it for so long
They call me "The Conductor"
I'd give my name but, I'd be wrong

Life out here ain't easy
Your head is on a swivel
Listen boy, this is the truth
Not just some hobo drivel

Even though we're many
You are still alone out here
Some you think are friends one day
Would **** you for a pint of beer

So, keep your distance, bide your time
The choice is up to you
Stay out here and roll the dice
And do what you must do

I listened as he rambled
Sorted words that I could keep
Then as sudden as he started
He stopped, and went to sleep

Do I ride the rails a no one?
Lose my name inside my mind?
Or do I travel 'cross the country?
To see just what it is I'd find

I'm lost with no direction
Staying stagnant, that I know
But, the life of The Conductor
Is that where I want to go

I heard the old man snoring
I huddled up and grabbed my stuff
Between the lines from The Conductor
I guess I wasn't all that tough

Back home there is a fellow
The blues man is his name
He reminds me of this fellow
They could be one and the same

Next time I hear the blues man
Or hear the whistle of a train
I'll think of The Conductor
The man who has no name

I've got the shingle shirt blew-ew-ew-ews
I've got the shingle shirt blues
Which one should I choose?
Something airy and loose
I've got the shingle shirt blues

I am in so much pay-ay-ay-ayn
I am in so much pain
I don't want this again
Like I've been hit by a train
I am in so much pain

It's like the worst sunburn
All around my core
Rubbed with a cheese grater
And then, just a little more

Lemon juice and vinegar
Wiped down upon the rash
I wouldn't wish this on my enemy
Not for all the world's cash

I've got the shingle shirt blew-ew-ew-ews
I've got the shingle shirt blues
Which one should I choose?
Something airy and loose
I've got the shingle shirt blues

It's a pain just to sle-ee-ee-eep
There's no way to sleep deep
If I move just a peep
Off a cliff I will leap
It's a pain just to sleep

I've got the shingle shirt blew-ew-ew-ew ews
I've got the shingle shirt blues
I have got some good news
My Jimmy Buffet fits loose
I've got the shingle shirt blues.

Are you King?
or are you Queen?
Which one of these are you?
Or, are you someone else instead?
Are you someone new?

Do you play the intellect?
Are you smarter than the rest?
If you are the intellect
What makes you the best?

Is your role the writer?
Putting words upon a page
Or, maybe you're an actor
Portraying characters on stage

Whichever one you choose to be
Always play it well
Is what you are a secret?
One you'll never tell

I can't play an instrument
A musician I'll not be
My brain won't work with science
A doctor, that's not me

At times I have played many roles
Sometimes, way back in school
I lost myself for a short time
And in the end, I played the fool

There are many roles that you will play
As you work your way through life
Husband, brother, father
Mother, daughter, wife

No matter which you choose to play
The fool is only one
Story teller, wordsmith
Make sure that you have fun

So, in the morning sunshine
Ask yourself "who shall I play?"
A new one, or an old one?
Just who am I today?

There is a tale so very old
Of an ancient Fairy King
Older than the world we know
Named Ochna-amadring

He's not been seen for many years
No-one knows if he is dead
There are clues about him though
This is how the legend has been fed

He was present when King Arthur
Took the sword out of the stone
Arthur, he was special
But, could not do that alone

His magic is eternal
He rules the fairy world and more
No one knows if he is living
Or what he has in store

He lives deep in the English woods
That is what they say
It is there that he met Merlin
And Morgan Le Fay

He's lived a thousand lifetimes
Or two, nobody knows
He sailed here with the Vikings
To escape the northern snow

You see his painted magic
Every year upon the leaves
The colors ever changing
Quite a tapestry he weaves

He has many fairy children
Not as cunning or as wise
They are seen by many people
They don't hide from mortal eyes

The Fairy Elder is a legend
Is he real or just a tale
Many search to find him
And in the end, they always fail

Leave the magic for the fairies
Never ask exactly how
The fairy magic is accomplished
Shh...he may be near you now

i march to my own drummer
i lead my own parade
i do not travel other's paths
i go on one i made

i move in my own orbit
i'm at least two notes off key
i fill in words i make up
okay, then maybe three

If I am not  what you want
And you think that I am strange
It doesn't bother me at all
Don't try to make me change

I laugh when others near me don't
It doesn't matter what you see
I'm not that different in the end
I'm no-one else, I'm just me

I know my shirt in inside out
Or is it really outside in?
At least I have a shirt to wear
So, to me that is a win

As I have aged, I've changed a bit
All I ask is leave me be
You can do just what you want
I'll understand, cause I'm just me

It doesn't matter who you are
Just let me live my life
You shouldn't care how I hold my fork
Or in which hand I hold my knife

I march to my own drummer
Sometimes I go and yell at trees
I like my world the way it is
I'm not you, I'm just me

It's been forty three years since that night
when i went out to do what's right
Something that I've kept inside since then

People searched but never found
They followed my prints on the ground
Never looking for anyone else, but men

I'm the one who shot him dead
Two bullets shot, and then I fled
Now it's time to tell my tale 'bout then

It was the night the lights went out in Georgia
It was the night that they hung an innocent man
Don't trust your soul to no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands

They looked high, and they looked low
followed my prints in the snow
Never caring if he did the crime

They hung my brother from a tree
The one who should have died was me
I've never left, I've been here all the time

I guess what goes around comes around
The judge is now dust in the ground
The sheriff, he is also long time dead

It was the night the lights went out in Georgia
It was the night that they hung an innocent man
Don't trust your soul to no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands

It's been a long, long time since Andy died
Rivers of tears that I have cried
But in the end I can' change what was done

Cause Andy's cheating wife never left town
And her body has never been found
Cause this little sister don't miss when she aims her gun

It was the night the lights went out in Georgia
It was the night that they hung an innocent man
Don't trust your soul to no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands

It was a night like this
Back in old T. O.
When a woman froze to death
In the cold and frigid snow

I passed her in the morning
I saw her laying on the grate
With all she owned around her
I did not then know her state

It was early nineteen eighty one
The polar winds did blow
A woman froze to death that night
In the cold and frigid snow

It was right outside the local "Y"
The doors were locked up tight
She lay upon the heating grates
To make it through the night

Passers by ignored her
They just looked away instead
In the morning when I passed her
I did not know that she was dead

I think back on that image
Of her laying with her stuff
I ask myself "when will we stop"
"and say enough's enough"

The homeless are not garbage
Disposable, their not
A woman froze to death outside
Is this the best we've got?

A woman froze to death one night
And no one seemed to care
Life goes on with her now gone
As though she was not there

Like the woman back on Church Street
In the cold Toronto snow
The image now is frozen
Like the woman in T.O.

can i still call it your birthday
if it's the day you chose to die
I can't guess what you were thinking
I can't begin to even try

I refuse to ask the question
You know, tell me why
can i still call it your birthday
If it's the day you chose to die

It only took a second
to tear my world apart
just the time to pull a trigger
put a hole into my heart

a voice i can't remember
a face from long ago
the person lying dead there
is not the one i know

The choice of what to pick up
The gun or man, the phone
Is one you never thought of
Now, you've left us all alone

Each year upon your birthday
We will toast your name and cry
Can I still call it your birthday
If it's the day you chose to die

It's time for an adventure
Where and how is up to you
With fantastic tales and creatures
Where everything is new

Just use imagination
Pick a place nobody knows
Add a creature you invented
And let's see where the tale goes...

Griffins, witches, warlocks
Are in books upon your shelves
In castles, caverns, forests
With dragons, orcs, and elves

There are unicorns and magic
Things fantastic, born of old
Leprechauns and fairies
Guarding mystic pots of gold

You can choose your own adventure
Make them all do what you wish
You can have birds with legs of lions
You can have dogs with heads of fish

The choice for each adventure
Is yours and yours alone
You can have a sword that glitters
Or one that is stuck inside a stone

Kings and Queens and Princes
Fighting quests to win one's heart
With three headed bearded lizards
It's up to you just where to start

A wall that moves at random
Stairs that lead up to the stars
Submarines and Narwhales
Time travelling in cars

An adventure full of wonder
With a dog that sees through walls
A cat who sees the future
And a mouse who does duck calls

The key to each adventure
Is in the books, that you will find
Give birth to what is hidden
Deep inside your mind

Add wings to a small pony
And make a creature that now flies
Add snakes in places of fingers
Try that one on for size

Mother goose this isn't
This is fantasy by you
No one has set boundaries
Just do what you can do

Just a short New Year's Wish

Raise a glass and toast the year
Think back now and debate
Another week and it's dusted and done
Goodbye to old two oh one eight

Regardless how it started
And what happened through the year
Celebrate that you're here at the end
And raise a nice cold glass of beer

The Mayans missed about the end of life
And now we've another year to go
A new adventure that will be twelve months long
What it brings, I'm sure that no one knows

So, raise a glass to the end of another long year
And get set to step out once again
I wish you could all have the best year of all
and then multiply all that by ten

Two Oh One Nine could be a year of wonderment
A year that all your dreams come true
It's not predetermined or up in the stars
What you get is all now up to you

So, raise a glass and celebrate that you're still here
And start the New Year off with a smile
A toast to the past and one to what's to come
And let's make it the best year by a mile

Happy Gnu Year to everyone on HP who contributes to all of the talent on this site.

Just a short New Year's Wish
Raise a glass and toast the year
Think back now and debate
Another week and it's dusted and done
Goodbye to old two oh one eight

Regardless how it started
And what happened through the year
Celebrate that you're here at the end
And raise a nice cold glass of beer

The Mayans missed about the end of life
And now we've another year to go
A new adventure that will be twelve months long
What it brings, I'm sure that no one knows

So, raise a glass to the end of another long year
And get set to step out once again
I wish you could all have the best year of all
and then multiply all that by ten

Two Oh One Nine could be a year of wonderment
A year that all your dreams come true
It's not predetermined or up in the stars
What you get is all now up to you

So, raise a glass and celebrate that you're still here
And start the New Year off with a smile
A toast to the past and one to what's to come
And let's make it the best year by a mile

I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song
Three minutes thirteen seconds
So, it wasn't quite that long
Filled with love and disappointments
All the things a good song needs
I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song

They said "write something simple"
I said "I'll see what I can do"
They told me "you can do it"
"you're the best at what you do"

I needed something with emotion
Something new and something hot
I wrote for fourteen hours
And this is what I got

I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song
Three minutes thirteen seconds
So, it wasn't quite that long
Filled with love and disappointments
All the things a good song needs
I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song

It was a little love song
You know...people could relate
I played it to the band
They said "Man, this song is great"

It's a little bit of Shakespeare
With some Poe there on the side
The song was full of highs and lows
It would take you for a ride

I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song
Three minutes thirteen seconds
So, it wasn't quite that long
Filled with love and disappointments
All the things a good song needs
I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song

In the end when it was finished
It charted, not for long
Then I realized the story here
Was the story 'bout the song

So, I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song
Three minutes thirteen seconds
So, it wasn't quite that long
Filled with love and disappointments
All the things a good song needs
I wrote a song about a story about a story about a song

About a mile out of town
Past the village in the mist
Sits a tiny County Church
Not found on any list

It's for Catholic and Baptist
It's for Protestant and Jew
It's doors are always open
This church is here for you

The town is near two hundred
The Church a few years more
There are tales about this building
That are part of local lore

The church is small in stature
But large in who it serves
It's a place to go and worship
It's a place to calm your nerves

The pews are hard and narrow
Carved by hand you see
One has crumbled through the years
So in all there's thirty three

Seventeen pews on the left side
Sixteen on the right
Hand carved with love by someone
And all are painted white

At Easter and at Christmas
The Church is full as it should be
And as one of those who enter
I say, it's something you should see

The pews seem so much whiter
When the voices sing so loud
If it could be witnessed by it's builders
I know they would be proud

There are carvings in the church pews
Left by many through out time
On the second one in on the left
Is my brothers name and mine

The pews are worn in places
They've supported many souls
Who have come in here for comfort
They have come to be made whole

The one pew that is broken
Was fixed but once more broke
It was decided then to leave it
By the elders, local folk

The minister in charge then
Stood and told those who were there
"To fix what keeps on breaking"
"Wastes time, we could better share"

"Besides, look all around you"
"The pews, there's thirty three"
"To you, it should hold meaning"
"Think hard, and you will see"

"Remember, Christ our Saviour"
"Think of his age on his last day"
"Thirty three, that is the number"
"Now, think on that next time you pray"

"The Church pew that is broken"
"Can't be fixed, so let it be"
"It's as though it was intended"
"To help give strength to you and me"

The Church out in the Country
Will stand longer than me
And will witness many Christmas'
From church pews ...all thirty three.

Stand up tall
Point to the sky
Waiting for
Someone to buy

Seven years
or so to grow
Growing strong
With winter snow

Pine or Spruce
so very real
to give authentic
Christmas feel

People come to
Cut us down
on our farm
outside of town

Branches out
Needles green
Catch their eyes
Be sure you're seen

Unlike those
Deep in the wood
you give your life
For greater good

Sawed or chopped
get hauled away
Or not be picked
And have to stay

Taken from
Your plot of earth
A short trip then,
You get, rebirth

A stand inside
In warmth and light
Protected from
The winter's night

Water seeps
From down below
Nice and fresh
Like winter snow

Boxes opened
Lights are strung
Ornaments so bright
And gently hung

A new face
For the lowly tree
So shiny bright
For all to see

Then at last
A star in place
To signify
An angel's grace

The little tree
Stands tall and bright
It really is
A festive sight

A sacrifice
Of such a gift
To give a home
A Christmas lift

Next year
It will once again
See this cycle
But, until then

The Christmas tree
Festooned and bright
Brings love into
The glorious night

I've been looking for a Christmas Tree
The search has been so hard
Last night, I found the perfect one
Outside in my front yard

I venture past it every day
But, it never caught my eye
The tree is forty two feet tall
It reaches to the sky

Last night as I was leaving home
The moon shone oh so bright
It caught the snow on one low branch
And it really was a sight

I looked at it much closer
Saw perfection to my surprise
I'd been looking for the perfect tree
And here it was before my eyes

I couldn't bring it in the house
It would stay out front for all to see
We'd decorate it outside where it stood
The Perfect Christmas Tree

We started putting lights on it
We could only go so high
A neighbor stopped on his way home
with an idea he said to try

He came back by this morning
With some friends and just our luck
They came with two long ladders
And a bright red fire truck

In no time all the neighbors
Started coming by to see
They all bought decorations
For our giant Christmas Tree

It took two days to finish it
This tree that stood so tall
We planned to light it up that evening
To be seen by one and all

On Christmas Eve it happened
The fire truck made one last stop
They extended both their ladders
We put the star up on the top

It was perfect, and we knew it
The neighborhood was there as one
The lights and decorations
Made it light up like the sun

So, next time you need something
Look around and you might find
Perfection, like our Christmas Tree
Just as God designed