You finish off my sentences
You help complete my thoughts
Although we are quite different
"I'm an x,  and you're a nought"
My life is full because of you
And the one thing that we've got
Is that we are quite different
You play "x"s, I play "noughts"
Together we're a power house
A team that knows it's way
But, separate, we're unorganized
That can't get through the day
We make each other better when
One is cold and one is hot
It's because we are quite different
You play "x"s, I play "noughts"
If the game should ever change
And we went a different way
I don't know how I'd make it
I'd not know just what to play
I wake up every morning knowing
You're there to be in all my thoughts
It's because we are so different
You play "x"s, I play noughts.

I woke up in a stranger's bed
I'm not quite sure whose
I just know it was a woman
By looking at her shoes

When I woke up she was long gone
Her note said "Thank you for the night"
But, hell, I don't remember getting here
Something ain't quite right

How did I get so messed up
What the hell did I consume?
What made this girl...a 2 at ten
Into a ten at 2
I gotta know what did I drink
What the hell did I consume
What made this girl...a 2 at ten
Into a ten at two

I went out to the kitchen
grabbed a coffee and some toast
I couldn't quite remember her
Though I do remember most

I left after a shower
Saw no pictures round the place
As hard as I tried thinking
I could not recall her face

How did I get so messed up
What the hell did I consume?
What made this girl...a 2 at ten
Into a ten at 2
I gotta know what did I drink
What the hell did I consume
What made this girl...a 2 at ten
Into a ten at two



I felt just like a hound dog
When I left through her front door
I just didn't like the feeling
I don't want to feel like that no more

Tonight I'll pick another bar
So I don't see you know who
Just what the hell was this boy drinking
And what exactly did I do?


How did I get so messed up
What the hell did I consume?
What made this girl...a 2 at ten
Into a ten at 2
I gotta know what did I drink
What the hell did I consume
What made this girl...a 2 at ten
Into a ten at two

If you saw me sitting in the park

Feeding pigeons for a while

Would you give me not a second thought

Would you look at me and smile?

If while I fed the pigeons

I was talking really loud

With no one there to listen

Not one person, not a crowd

Would you look at me as crazy

Would you think my mind was messed?

Now put me in my uniform

With my medals on my chest

Now, would this make it different

Am I different than before?

For I didn't leave home like this

It's the end result of war

If you stood and saw me stumble

From a bar mid afternoon

Would you look at me and think

"This one's drunk too soon"?

Would you turn or change direction?

Would you stay out of my path?

Or would you slowly walk behind me

And shake your head or maybe laugh?

Would you look at me as crazy?

Would you think my mind was messed?

Now put me in my uniform

With my medals on my chest

Now, would this make it different

Am I different than before?

For I didn't leave home like this

It's the end result of war

If you saw me in a wheelchair

On my crutches hobbling by

Would you look at me as feeble

Or would you turn away and sigh?

Would you wonder just what happened

To make me handicapped a might

Or would you turn and switch direction?

So I wasn't in your sight

Would you think that I was lazy?

Just because I couldn't walk

Would you look at me as feeble?

Would you take the time to talk?

Just because I might be different

Doesn't mean we are not equal

There is two sides to a story

There can always be a sequel

Just because you might dress better

And your suit is cut so fine

I ask you just one question

Would you lay it on the line?

If your country came and asked you

Would you sign up in a sec

Or would you think there's always others

I can just go write a cheque

Now, if you saw me in the park again

Standing solemn, lost in space

Would you wonder what I'm thinking?

Would you even see my face?

Would you see me as a person?

Would you walk on by and laugh?

Would you ever even notice

I was at the cenotaph

Would you look at me as crazy?

Would you think my mind was messed?

Now put me in my uniform

With my medals on my chest

Now, would this make it different

Am I different than before?

For I didn't leave home like this

It's the end result of war

But, if you saw me feeding pigeons

I ask you sir, would you

If you saw me in my uniform

Dare to come and say "Thank You"?
.

Something wicked this way comes
My body aches with pain
Not self inflicted with demon ***
But through the weather and the rain

The storm has taken down a tree
I stay inside and pray
There's a storm on fire inside of me
Will I make it through the day?

Arthritis wracks my body whole
And the cold just makes it bad
Free from pain, it is my goal
I can't remember last I had

A day so free and without ache
Drugs just numb but do not heal
I lose control when pills I take
I don't like just how I feel

The rain moves down the window pane
Liquid, lanquid and so quick
To be so sore it is my bane
It is not the life I picked

The storm is over, but not in me
Each day, it starts anew
I face the test with a new plea
I do the best that I can do.

Apple pie and hunting ducks
rusty, worn out pick up trucks
tales of being out of luck
The story's in the song

Broken hearts and drinking beer
Friday nights, the weekend's here
Strong enough to shed a tear
The story's in the song

The story's in the song my friends
The story's in the song
If you can not hear the tale
I've told the story wrong
The story's in the song my friends
The story's in the song
Listen close and you will find
The story's in the song

Driving on a red dirt road
Carrying a heavy load
Living to a cowboy's code
The story's in the song

Backroad driving in the dark
Pick up games down at the park
Memories that leave a mark
The story's in the song

The story's in the song my friends
The story's in the song
If you can not hear the tale
I've told the story wrong
The story's in the song my friends
The story's in the song
Listen close and you will find
The story's in the song

I took my wife out hunting
It didn't work out good
She missed all of her targets
But she shot up lots of wood
She couldn't hit a thing at all
She tried to shoot a duck
She sneezed and dropped her rifle
She put two holes in my truck
The decoys, they got blasted
Instead of five I now have three
She was aiming nowhere near them
She shot them, and killed a tree
Other hunters scurried
They were running for their lives
None of them was dumb enough
to go hunting with their wives
She came out wearing makeup
For the photo op she said
I said that will not happen
Unless you've got something that's dead
Forty pounds of pine tree
And a dozen more of birch
Are the trophies she'll be mounting
Up on the fireplace they'll perch
She almost took a ranger down
She mistook him for a goose
He gave to me a ticket
Saying...this girl should not be loose
He said the only kind of hunting
That she should be around
Is in the fish shop or the butcher
Where she can hunt it by the pound
He took us from the woodlot
With our trophies, shot up wood
He told her never to return there
And made sure she understood
He then turned and he told me
That it would be real good for my health
If I ever brought her back there
He'd shoot me dead himself

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 remember the advice
I remember every word
Grandad sat me down and said
Kids should be seen,  not heard
Always turn the other cheek
Unless he hits you first
I'll always wash your mouth with soap
If I find out you've cursed
Always treat folks with respect
Be polite and never smoke
Always use good manners
And don't tell ***** jokes

He smiled when he said this
A little twinkle in his eyes
Don't believe a word of these
They're all confounded lies

No one learns a thing at all
By doing what they're told
I'm talking from experience
Listen son...I'm old

Read the good book daily
But, just use it as a guide
Remember, they're just stories
Not hard rules to abide

Grandad always had a drink
and his pipe was always full
He'd always wink at me
When he was spouting bull

Rules are to be broken
That's just how you learn
Respect is not a given
It's something that you earn

He'd let me sip a little beer
And sometimes smoke the pipe
But, he always took his hanky out
And gave them both a wipe

One thing Grandad always said to me
You always must be clean
People care about where you're going
They don't care where you've been

Grandad gave advice for free
Not the same as mum and dad
The advice I got from granddad
was the best I ever had

I'm almost 84 now
And I'm still breaking all those rules
I've found that those who never did
Ended up a bunch of fools

Remember the good book is for guidance
They're just stories someone told
You can learn more stuff if you listen
To someone who's grown old.

He was a normal man
With a normal life
Two kids, one dog
And a loving wife

He had a normal job
Drove a normal car
Coached little league
Went to normal bars

All that ended when she arrived
It's amazing that normal man survived
With short, short skirts
And deep blue eyes
Just saying try me for on size

He did what he should
Avoided her at first
But she taunted him
And he quenched his thirst

He was white bread only
She was not
He was cold baloney
She was hot
He knew he shouldn't do it
Lost that thought
Till that fateful night
When he got caught

He was a normal man
With a normal life
Two kids, a dog
And now a new ex-wife

He had a house in town
Where he didn't live
And half of his pay
He was forced to give

His vows got broken
He couldn't turn away
She just taunted him
And he had to play
Was it worth the loss
With what he had to pay
He was a normal man
What could he say?

His wife found out
It wasn't tough
She could smell her scent
That's when things got rough

His wife was blonde
The girl was red
He even brought her
home to bed
There wasn't much
For him to say
She had him dead to rights
Now, he had to pay

He was a normal man
With a normal life
Two kids, a dog
And a new ex-wife

It wasn't long before
The affair did end
He life was broke
Too bad to mend

He was a normal man
With a normal life
He'd lost it all
Was it worth the strife?

Dignified, sturdy, solid
In all it's equine glory
The fact Mike tried to ride it
Is quite another story
Mike was set to ride the steed
Down the beach to have his lunch
When the horse grabbed Mike's shirt
And then proceeded to just munch
The horse stood nearly 16 hands
Poor Mike stood five foot two
The horse looked down upon him
Most tall children looked down too
Mike steadied it to get aboard
From the left side as he should
He got up and grabbed the bridle
All was seeming pretty good
Mike leaned down to pat it
Lost his grip and tumbled down
The horse just didn't notice
And he peed upon the ground
Mike got up and mounted
Once again upon the steed
He bucked up once and threw him
Mike thought he must be off his feed
The troop of trail ride horses
Made their way along the beach
Mikes horse went on riderless
It was now far out of reach
Mike went back to the hotel desk
Called a cab to beat them all
He was not to be outdone
Just because he'd taken one small fall
He met them at the barbeque
The horses stood out in the field
Mike would eat his lunch and then
He'd make this **** horse yield
He came with a nice apple
and some sugar as a treat
The horse just looked down at him
And stamped on both his feet
While Mike just stood there steaming
The horse ran like a shot
The others were all mounted
And poor Mike's horse was not
It joined up with the others
Leaving Mike away in back
So, he phoned once more for a taxi
And formed a new attack
He was **** bound and determined
To get upon this horse
If not to go out riding
But for a picture, why of course..
He met them at the hotel field
To get his picture just for pride
It didn't matter to him now
That he never got to ride
He'd show the photo to his friends
Of the horse he rode around
Never telling him of his great fall
And how the horse tossed him to the ground
The fact he never rode it
Mike now considered moot
For the horse stood for the photo
And then pooped in Mike's left boot

Off in the distance
you could see the clouds forming
a blanket of white
on a canvas of blue
the wind was beginning
to give birth to some devils
and what was to come
only hardened men knew

"cut loose the horses"
let them run wild
we'll get them all later
when the storm
has passed through
they'll be safe in the canyon
the ones that aren't broken
the devil is coming
and the sky still showed blue

lock down the horse barns
and lock up the cattle
the wind is beginning
it'll be here real soon
out in the desert
when the wind starts to howling
it'll bring up the dust
and it'll block out the moon

The temperature dropped
and the sky had changed colour
the blue was now gone
it was now kind of grey
the clouds were still forming
you could see there behind them
a funnel of black
the devil at play

once it gets going
nothing can save you
get inside fast
and hunker down low
there's a silence so eerie
before the train rumble
that only the older
cowboys do know

put out the fire
get low and stay hidden
the devils at play
and he'll tear you apart
the wind is his plaything
and you'll be his victim
he'll skin you alive
and he'll rip out your heart

the horses run wild
some may not make it
others will live
as they make for the caves
those we have broken
are at the mercy of nature
we'll know once we're done
just how many we saved

the wall of sand hit hard
a black sheet of horror
you could hear it outside
as it ripped at the wall
back in the corner
the young cowboys were shaking
the old one's stood guard
against the devil's strong call

for hours it raged
and it tore at the building
sand getting in
where the building  gave way
nobody spoke
until early next morning
they just sat and watched
the devil at play

silence, just silence
meant the storm was now over
the door was thrown open
the devastation was seen
the corral was empty
but, for two wild turkeys
and there was a single dead horse
where the stable had been

the devil spoke loudly
he sent quite a message
the horses are mine
they run wild and run free
i'll keep the storms coming
this was the fourth in a decade
leave them to run
or you'll all deal with me

the old cowboys looked round
and they took in the damage
lit up a fire
and said thank god we're alive
we've made it through four
and we'll rebuild even stronger
if we ever can hope
to get through storm number five

the will of a cowboy
and the will of the devil
one is much stronger
it's as strong as the land
the devil will fight you
it's just in his nature
but, the cowboy will win
because he's part of the land

There is a story of the beach that's been told
Of shipwrecks and pirates and their ***** of gold
Of devils and angels and souls that were sold
For the location that's hiding the treasure so old

During the day, the beach is quite full
Of tourists and locals and such
But, when the sun's going down
The locals don't go there so much

Most nights in movies there's groups at the beach
Singing songs round a large burning fire
But, this beach is different, no one goes there
Cross my heart, you can call me a liar

Out at the end of the breakers and rocks
Is a graveyard of old pirate ship hulls
Divers have checked them and nothing was found
Now they're home to just crayfish and gulls

The story is told of the pirate....Muldoon
And the treasure buried round in these parts
It's protected by witchcraft and devilish lore
And is covered by ten pirates hearts

They say that Muldoon took down ships by the score
From Jamaica on up to Gaspe
But whatever he took, no one knows where he left
his treasure from then to this day

His ghost it is said, roams the dunes in the night
His wailing is heard near the sea
Folks don't stick around when the day is done
There's nary a soul there to see

Muldoon was a man with a penchant for gold
He made deals with the devil as well
Witches have said that the last deal he made
Let him take all his ***** to hell

Pirates and Ghosts and Witches and ships
These are tales that will play on your mind
But for all that he took, and through all the years past
Not one single dubloon will ye find

From cradle to grave the folks in these parts
Know the story of the Pirate Muldoon
The tree where he died still stands by the shore
Glowing bright when there is a blood moon

The word is that he, was hung from the tree
And Muldoon cursed the beach as he dropped
He said that his gold would never be found
Though the searching never has stopped

Fires go out, and the wind whips his cry
Is it Muldoon or just tricks of the air
It doesn't much matter, for no one will know
Because at night, there is nobody there

Muldoon walks the beach with his leg made of wood
Guarding treasure, of jewellery and gold
He will stay there forever, for it will not be found
This I say, being ever so bold

If you should find yourself down at the beach
And the sun starts to set in the west
You'd best make a move and get home where it's safe
Or meet Muldoon who is guarding his chest.

We are on the "no call" list
Yet, our telephone still rings
We've a sign that says "No Pedlars"
But, there's people selling things
Showing up and disregarding
The sign that we've put there
They won't accept the fact they've trespassed
They really do not care
We get calls from companies
Who aren't allowed to phone
And when we say "we're on the list"
They leave us alone
It last for just two hours
Then they call back again
We start the "No call" salsa
From the beginning once again.
People drive by and they stop
They say our house needs work
They saw it from a mile back
They must think I'm a ****
I figure that their eyesight great
For our problem's not out front
The problem is around the rear
They're just searching on a hunt
Have you ever asked yourself
How do they "fly by night"
For they're all so full of *******
They couldn't muster any height
They tell you that they did some work
For the lady who lived here
But if they're work is so **** durable
Why did it only last a year
They're nothing but cheap hustlers
Who want to rip you off and leave
They're just out to get your money
They practice to decieve
They've never got good papers
To show just where they're from
And when you ask to see them
They hightail it and they run
The honest ones leave me alone
And they do not cross my step
For they read my sign "No Pedlars"
And they leave my place...with pep
They move on to the neighbors
They do not wait around
They don't look inside my windows
They just evacuate my ground
There's salesmen doing driveways
Professionals, these guys ain't
All they want to do is
Cover up my drive with paint
They ask about my eavestroughs
It is blocked, that's why it drips
But, it has a gutter cover
That's help on with plastic clips
They phone me during dinner
And they say, "Hi, my name's Jay"
But they sound as if they're calling
From an office in Bombay
They know that my computer
Has a virus I can't fix
And if I let them in my system
This problem they will nix
They prey on you not knowing
And they catch you unaware
So if you don't know these people
i'd advise you please take care
You can tell them really nicely
Or you can tell them go to hell
But right now, my phone is ringing
It must be Jay upon my cell.

write me a holiday song
one that doesn't revolve around lies
one that is full of the lows and the highs
not It's a Wonderful Life in disguise

Dad not quite sober
Gifts not all wrapped
Hugs from old aunties
In the hallway you're trapped
Write me a holiday song

Moms' in the kitchen
The kids by the tree
The men all are waiting
For dinner at three
Write me a holiday song

Life's not all wrapped up
With holiday bows
Christmas in real life
Is not Rudolph's nose
Write me a holiday song

People all argue
Fights will break out
Kids all are screaming
The good will's gone out
Write me a holiday song

write me a holiday song
one that doesn't revolve around lies
one that is full of the lows and the highs
not It's a Wonderful Life in disguise

The aunts and the uncles
and all other kin
Go to church Christmas Eve
To be absolved of their sins
Write me a holiday song

I'm sure Norman Rockwell
Didn't have real life in mind
When those Post cover pictures
He sat down and designed
Write me a holiday song

Bing Crosby is singing
While the massacre starts
Of the ham and the turkey
And other odd parts
Write me a holiday song

Stuff not on the table
Stuff left in the car
Eighteen conversations
Frozen beer in the car
Write me a holiday song

The facade is cracking
Real life has snuck in
Christmas is not a movie
It's just lead painted tin
Write me a holiday song

No one remembers
The bad times of the past
It just took a moment
It all happened so fast
Write me a holiday song

write me a holiday song
one that doesn't revolve around lies
one that is full of the lows and the highs
not It's a Wonderful Life in disguise

Write me a holiday song
One of truths and of memories
Of all that went wrong
I think I will smile
And I might sing along
Please write me a holiday song
Write me a holiday song
If I like it...I will sing along

We Were Over When we Started

©21 June 2015 Roger Turner & whitney Rix Victory II



You know, I should have seen it from the start,

Because we were over when we started,

Oh baby, That was plain for all to see,

And the only one who didn't see it,

From what I now know, was the lovestruck me.

I don't know why I could never see it.

Guess it was the fear of my breaking heart.

You know we were over when we started.

And baby, the signs were there to show me,

To say that we would never ever last.

Oh baby, why was I too blind to see,

While, you only talked about your past,

I always talked about our future,

Joke's on me, we'll never have that future.

You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.



Oh baby, that forest I couldn't see.

The trees were just too thick I couldn't see.

Hidden in the woods, thorns my heart to *****,

What I'd one day find would make me sick,

The breakup I was never ready for,

I wasn't ready to fall anymore.

You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.



Everyone around me told me to leave,

I should be aware for I would soon grieve,

The love that I held locked in my heart,

In yours, it just wasn't there from the start.

Any compromise was missing you see,

There was no chance love was our destiny.

You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.



It was always your way or not at all,

As your harsh, heated words I now recall,

So now, I've learned to look around me,

And learned not to fall so hard and fast

I've learned to take my time and maybe,

The next time I'll find something that will last.

You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.



I guess that we were no good together,

And through my tears, I seem to know that now,

You taught me what to look for I gather,

So, you could stand up, take a final bow.

And nevermind I'm drowning in my tears,

Only memories remain from our years.

You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.



You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.

I'm a better person now forever,

Even though you broke, tore apart my heart,

I'll admit we were no good together

Blind me, I should have seen it from the start.

You know we were over when we started,

And now I am more than broken hearted.

Riding bikes
Skinning Knees
Time spent climbing
All the trees
Sit back and feel
the summer breeze
Remember how it was?

Swimming pools
Baseball games
Every kid had
funny names
The times they just
don't seem the same
Remember how it was?

Summer time was glorious
You only had a kids concerns
No school until September
You didn't care if you got burned
Summer time was heavenly
A pirates life , you led
You were out 'till past the sun went down
Then it was dinner, bath and bed

Marbles, swimming
At the creek
A hundred kids
playing hide and seek
Cadging smokes
Of which none would speak
Remember how it was?

Building forts
And running wild
Outside all day
where sunshine smiled
Living the life
Of every child
Remember how it was?

Summer time was glorious
You only had a kids concerns
No school until September
You didn't care if you got burned
Summer time was heavenly
A pirates life, you led
You were out 'till past the sun went down
Then it was dinner, bath and bed

Baseball, soccer
cards in spokes
Blood brothers
and ***** jokes
trading cards
and drinking cokes
Remember how it was

Running fast
and walking slow
A few weeks left
To school we'll go
Tag...you're it
Friend or foe
Remember how it was?

Summer time was glorious
You only had a kids concerns
No school until September
You didn't care if you got burned
Summer time was heavenly
A pirates life, you led
You were out 'till past the sun went down
Then it was dinner, bath and bed

The Street is pretty empty
Just the locals out tonight
It's New Year's Eve and chilly
Seems this time, that all is right

No drunken revelers on the Street
All the buildings are shut tight
Except the bar and Gianni's place
On the Street, that's just alright

The Blues Man sits out back right now
And he's looking at the moon
No fireworks, or crystal *****
Say the New Year's coming soon

He coughs a bit, a little harsh
Grabs his medcin, and guitar
then he gently starts to playing
Looking at a single star

There's a few folks in Giannis
Watching the ball drop on tv
The bar is full of locals
Where the New Year's shots are free

But out back of Gianni's
The Blues Man sits in peace
Singing gently to the midnight sky
Sitting besides the drums of grease

This year he found his daughter
Memories of years gone by
And he sings tales of their meeting
To the chilly, midnight sky

His daughter is his lodestone
She keeps him grounded, always did
No matter where he ventured
He always loved his missing kid

She's drinking at the bar now
While The Blues Man sits out back
Singing tunes in Winter Darkness
He lets us in...but just a crack

The door behind Gianni's
Is open, just a bit
It's open for the Blues Man
To go get warm and sit

But, for now, he sits here playing
As the New Year ventures in
He sings songs about redemption
And he drinks his medcin

An hour in and locals
Leave Gianni's and the bar
They venture to the alley
Where he's playing to that star

They join him in silence
Hear his prayer for the year new
They are swept up in his magic
And let him do what he must do

He smiles and keeps on singing
Fills the night air with his voice
For no matter how his life is
He only had one choice

He's the Blues Man, always will be
He's the teller of the tales
He sings songs out in the alley
He's the wind in the Street's sails

He finishes his last song
His daughter standing, smiling wide
She gives him a kiss upon his forehead
And she ushers him aside

He'll wake up again tomorrow
In the alley, cold but free
That's the life of The Street Blues Man
And that's the way ...that it should be.

Chicken little took a gun
The day that he turned 51
He put the gun beneath his head
Pulled the trigger...now he's dead

He made sure that he did die
And every birthday you will cry
You tried thrice to do the same
Try once more to win the game

The guilt you feel will fuel a fire
Face the facts...he did expire
You enabled like you always do
So that gun killed not one but two

It tore a family right apart
It didn't melt your blackened heart
So sit upon your stolen throne
And wait to die alone...alone

As one year end gets closer and a new one set to start
Why are we always looking backwards not forwards with our heart
We always think of things we lost not of things we gain
We just cannot find the sunshine for the rain
We talk of what might have been and what almost came to pass
We never speak in positives just negatives and sass
We look at what we do not have and what we didn't do
I know I do it annually, I'm sure that you do too
This year I gained experience and friends I've yet to meet
And I know that every one of them have made my year a special treat
But as I look back on this past year I think of what I've lost
Just in case I need reminding and I need to know the cost
It's just our way to do this so our goals don't get set too high
It's difficult to start anew than it is to say goodbye
As we move into our future we will learn from our mistakes
And we're sure to shed enough new tears to fill up the great lakes
But, moving on into the wide expanse of the unkown
Is something that scares most of us, It's the dice that we have thrown
That leads into challenges and friendships not yet found
To start the path to next year, you must hold the grass down to the ground
Next year is the grail for sports fans whose teams fail
There'll always be a next year but what of this year's tale
It's one we look at fondly and we always think they're bums
But it's written in a song somewhere that next year never comes
I've tried to learn a lesson from each year that I've been here
But because I'm always looking backwards there are lessons tinged with fear
Of doing the same thing once again and of not doing what I should
But if I look back at it rightly, I did all that I could
With next year soon approaching I will put this year behind
And I will think of the adventures next year I will find
I will make new friends and spend time with the people I hold dear
And I hope that you can do it too  in this coming great New Year.

I was one drink in on Friday night
I heard the church bells 'cross the square
When the barkeep signalled next one's free
And to me, this was quite rare

There was Billy, me, two drunks and Sue
and a waitress name of Shirley
She said "that bell just rang on sixteen times"
I said "that means it's early"

the bell rang on four days one time
found a cat locked in the tower
sister mary nice as pie
thought our bell had found the power

she ran through town spouting off
how Christ has come again
when it was a 42 pound tabby cat
making out like old big ben

the pastor ran to city hall
you see he'd lost his keys
someone had to stop that noise
made by a fat cat full of fleas

fourteen rings meant two o'clock
fifteen meant half eight
eleven meant eleven and
twenty one meant you were late

it hadn't rung for fifteen years
then the new pastor came to town
I never really trusted him
he wore a smile, not a frown

i'm here to bring the church to you
i'm a pastor of the people
I laughed when I heard him say this
I wasn't going near his steeple

the church had been built catholic
turned Lutheran for a bit
United, Pentecostal too
And then the Baptist group bought it

they had a real fine choir
did great shows, and fixed the bell
it hasn't rung right since that day
Now the Baptists left as well

They run a new age service now
you know, electric candles and fake wine
confession is a long dead ghost
and you get penance points on line

they don't hold service Sunday's
the pastor, he sleeps in
they pray together through the week
and to me that is a sin

the bells go off eight times a day
sometimes nine, or even more
they keep the pigeons from the square
and shake the paint right off the door

I sit and worship faithfully
at the bar, with my drunk friends
with some cotton ***** for our poor ears
to use until the **** bell ends

i'm one drink past the last one
we've bet on how many times the bell
will ring in the next hour
you can never really tell

For now, i'll stay here drinking
with the gang here and the cat
he's deaf as any post you'll see
but he's still near twice as fat

he can't hear the bell's loud ringing
oh.....twenty three...this one's on me
maybe next time will ring sixteen more
and i'll get another beer for free.

Old churches smell of Camphor

New churches get febreezed

New churches have soft benches

Old churches wreck your knees

Old churches have stained windows

New churches have foam walls

Old churches fill you up with dread

New churches look like malls

New churches have young pastors

Old churches, not so much

New churches have no feeling

Old churches hurt to touch

Old churches scream religion

New churches whisper "Hi"

New churches aren't forboding

Old churches make you cry

New churches full of speakers

Old churches you just yell

New churches all have daycare

Old churches threaten hell

Old churches full of people

New churches full of young

New churches and new hymnals

Old churches,,bells are rung

Old churches make you wonder

New churches keep you cool

New churches...air conditioned

Old churches are a jewel

Old churches...God is power

New churches...God's a friend

New churches....rules are broken

Old churches do not bend

Old churches are my background

New churches I don't know

Old churches full of stories

New churches full of show

Old churches there's confession

New churches there is not

New churches you say sorry

Old churches...it gets hot

New churches have no devil

Old churches he is there

New churches full of comfort

Old churches just to scare

No matter what religion

Be it new or be it old

Faith is one commitment

Forever,you should hold

Old churces are my favorite

New churches quench a thirst

But if I had a choice of one

I'd pick the old church first.








Write a comment...
..

the city and it's music
every changing
the city and it's music
daily rearranging

you can hear the distant thunder
kept in time by city drums
a beat of urban tires
that makes the city roadways strum
the wind blows through the subway
you can hear the wires hum
it's the city making music
shut your eyes and listen some

the band has no conductor
there are horns and there are strings
there's a bass back from the buses
listen to the joy it brings
it's a concert in the city
by the city and it rings
the bells from downtown churches
and the piegeons flapping wings

you've an orchestra around now
listen close, it never stops
from the cars racing through downtown
to the whistle blowing cops
it's a different kind of music
it's got a rhythm that just pops
it's a gritty harder sound
that echos to the building tops

cars, trucks, people walking
all are part of this great band
and the best part of this music
is it's spread across the land
each song you hear is different
nothing ever comes out planned
each city has a cadence
listen close, the show's at hand....

All the edits finished
All the audio in time
Geoff and Garry worked hard
To get the podcast up on line
topics from the serious
To topics quite delirious
full of energy
even one on me
A pair of pop culture pundits
Spewing whatever comes to mind
It's a great bit of entertainment
It might just expand your mind
Take the time to listen now
They may even have a row
You never know
So start the show
The Pendulum Podcast
Is the show of which I speak
They both put it together
They try to put one out
Most every week
It reaches to the geek in us
sometimes you'll need an omnibus
To understand
the things that these two can
It's enjoyable and funny
Take the time
and listen in
Do yourself a favour
It is not a mortal sin
But, who knows where
the show will lead
they do it for the fun not greed
you'll love to hear
The topics these two spear.

check out The Pendulum Podcast on facebook, and youtube. Link to youtube is as follows
http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePendulumOnTV/videos

I can't remember when
I asked you to be mine
I have lost that memory
Somewhere in my mind

I can't remember when
You said to me "I do"
I have lost that memory
It's only known by you

I can't remember things
I'm always at a loss
I have lost those memories
But, I don't know at what cost

I can't remember when
I last said "I love you"
I have lost that memory
Each day is all brand new

I can not remember who I am or who you are
I look up into the sky, and can't wish on a star
I know that I once loved you, but my mind won't go that far
I don't know who I am or who you are

There's a box down in my basement
It's not hidden far away
It's a box that's full of history
things from, well....another day
It sits there like a statue
Never opened, all forlorn
Holding pictures and their secrets
from a time when I weren't born
It's blue with brass side stapping
It takes up two cubic feet
It just sits there in the corner
Yelling...OPEN ME....but, be discreet
Love letters and photos
unfinished projects from the past
Newspaper announcements
Lots of things you want to last
It's a box that is worth sharing
Stories living in a box
It sits there closed and oh, forgotten
It sits there closed, there are no locks
There's few around who've seen the contents
Even less who know the names
Of people in all the pictures
It's not just sad, it is a shame
The box is full of untold stories
A love story that should be heard
It's written in two lovers writing
No need to translate, not a word
It is the tale of two fine people
Parents of my wife, they say
This box tells of Margaret and Charlie
They both are gone, before this day
It's musty when you smell it
But, isn't that how things should be
There's school reports and lockets
A father lost when she was three
I think of them when I look at it
Artifacts stored for none to see
I never met them, but I miss them
They'd be proud of who she came to be
this box is Megan's life force
It helped make her strong and proud
It shows she is an Edwards
The contents scream it really loud
there is a box down in my basement
It' a box of writing, reams and reams
I look forward to our meeting
One quiet night inside my dreams
The people who filled up the inside
Are my family, though we've not met
I'd like to take this chance to tell them
Their girl is safe, they need not fret.

To ***
Or Not
To ***...
That, Is
The Question!!!!!

I have extricated foot from mouth on various occasions
Letting fly with all my thoughts on folk and their persuasions
Brain and mouth aren't both in gear when I speak before I think
It sometimes comes out sounding like I've just had a good stiff drink

I sometimes speak without a thought of those who I may hurt
I've been told to reel it in because I can be curt
I promise I will do my best, but, only time will see
I'll make sure that the one I roast...is not in back of me!

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

I'm tugging on a rope that's centered

Somewhere near my heart

It's been moving me away for years

Away from where I start

But, there's one thing that keeps pulling me

In This tug of war in life,

It keeps me balanced, upright, strong

The love of my dear wife

There's things out there that challenge

Every thought we make

If you choose the wrong one

You can make a big mistake

Do you choose because it's safer

Or is  the risk the one for you

Just don't do it blindly

You must think of what you do

There's two ways to do everything

sometimes even more

Sometimes you just ask yourself

What is this all for?

Is this the path that I should take

Does anybody know?

Or should I go the other route

The one that doesn't show

I'm tugging on a rope that's centered

Somewhere near my heart

It's been moving me away for years

Away from where I start

But, there's one thing that keeps pulling me

In This tug of war in life,

It keeps me balanced, upright, strong

The love of my dear wife

Life is just a tug of war

of many different things

You just pull back and then you hope

you've pulled on the right strings

Children, jobs, emotions, love

All tugging back themselves

Which ones do you pull back on

Or put back upon the shelves

To keep on board this rocking ship

You make your choice and tug

It may just be the wrong one

So, you just stand back and shrug

You work on through, evaluate

You pull the rope again

You don't just stand and lose it all

You get back up again.

I'm tugging on a rope that's centered

Somewhere near my heart

It's been moving me away for years

Away from where I start

But, there's one thing that keeps pulling me

In This tug of war in life,

It keeps me balanced, upright, strong

The love of my dear wife

You work your way to center

Where you were right at the start

You make this trip together

don't upset the apple cart

A bit one side or the other

Means life's a succcess

For too far either side can  be

One god awful mess

I'm tugging on a rope that's centered

Somewhere near my heart

It's been moving me away for years

Away from where I start

But, there's one thing that keeps pulling me

In This tug of war in life,

It keeps me balanced, upright, strong

The love of my dear wife

If you get back to the middle

And you both enjoyed the fight

Then you know you are unstoppable

And that you've got it right

A team that know the ins and outs

Two partners through and through

A team that stays on center

A team like me and you

I'm tugging on a rope that's centered

Somewhere near my heart

It's been moving me away for years

Away from where I start

But, there's one thing that keeps pulling me

In This tug of war in life,

It keeps me balanced, upright, strong

The love of my dear wife

There was a knocking on my bedroom door
It was almost ten past three
I thought it was a dream, so I
just ignored it...went to ***

I came back to my bedroom
And in my corner chair
Sat a Christmas ghost I'd seen before
I acted though he was not there

I looked at him and then it dawned
You're number three of all the ghosts
He said that nothing much had changed
The others were working up the coast

He said since his last visit
I'd gotten somewhat worse
And that the chance of my salvation
was far outnumbered by my curse

You don't believe in Christmas
You're not one we can change
On a scale of one to ten sir
you're not even in the range

The others figured what the heck
You go, you don't need us
It's only been one Christmas
So, there's no need for us to fuss

He told me Scrooge, you're awful
You make what skin I have left crawl
You're so close to the bottom now
You'd have to go up just to fall

I told him you're mistaken
I donate, and then...what's more
Scrooge is my next door neighbor
He's one house down at forty four!!!!

Twisting, writhing bodies
All in rhythm to the beat
Their bodies keeping perfect time
To the movement of their feet

A hot and humid dance floor
All in the bands control
Except one wayward dancer
Dancing like a newborn foal

I loved her when I saw her
Arms akimbo, who knows where
Dancing to a different drummer
Face obscured by flying hair

She had the rythym of a metronome
That was broken, out of beat
And in my mind I could just picture
Barney Rubbles flying feet

She didn't care what they were playing
She surely couldn't keep in time
While they were playing four beats
She was hearing at least nine

She didn't care if people watched her
She danced alone and had her fun
sometimes she just kept dancing
long after the song was sung

I don't know what she was hearing
What song was playing in her mind
She was light upon her feet
but she was heavy upon mine

She danced with full emotion
She let the music draw her in
She danced where ever it would take her
She couldn't dance...is that a sin?

I loved her sense of freedom
She couldn't dance and didn't care
I'm just as bad as she is
And now we're a timeless dancing pair.

The wind was picking up

as she led them from the store

They'd bought all of their groceries,

They had no room for more

Young Willa and her sisters three

Looked over their short list

They had to check and check again

To see just what they'd missed

Willa led them home

Before the hail and rain came down

They would batten down the hatches

Before the storm battered the town

Her father was out working

And would not be home in time

To see that they were all in safe

To most, that was a crime

But, Willa took the girls inside

And kept them safe and warm

She made them all hot chocolate

To distract them from the storm

See, Willa was fourteen years old

A child too you see

But to her sisters, she had another role

That's not yet plain to see

Their mother left five years back

To find a better life

She was a failure as a mother

And was useless as a wife

So Willa stepped on up

And she took care of the young brood

While her father worked in Lansing

Making money for their food

Her friends did things without her

She was always taking care

Of her sisters and the household

For her mother wasn't there

She sacrificed her chldhood

While her friends went out with boys

She stayed home with her stisters

Doing homework,  making toys

There wasn't enough money

To buy toys for them all

But Willa made them something each

Something special, every fall

Her father tried as best he could

To get work close to town

But, there was no work out there

Since the Auto Plant closed down

So, Willa kept on working

As a mother to the girls

She would cook and do the cleaning

She would help with Lisa's curls

Her father knew her sacrifice

Was more than he could ask

But Willa, never shrugged it off

She was equal to the task

She knew that her poor father

Would never find another bride

For who would want a husband

With four children at his side?

So Willa, kept on working

And she put her dreams behind

And to childhoods joys and treasures

She pretended to be blind

Her sisters knew that Willa

was the rock that held them strong

And they did what Willa asked them

Whether right or whether wrong

Willa's friends moved on with out her

Some to college, some to work

But, this role that she had taken on

She'd never ever shirk

On Willa's eighteenth birthday

Her sisters gave her gifts

Some presents she would treasure

They would give her heart a lift

Her youngest sister Lisa

Gave her a brown teddy bear

It was old and slightly tattered

And it didn't have much hair

Willa held that Teddy Bear

For now it was her own

Lisa said "you love it"

"It's yours , now I have grown"

The second gift from sister Lee

Was a barbie with one eye

That didn't really open

And this made poor Willa cry

She gave this doll to lee when

She'd fallen down out back

She had got twenty stitches

And these were draen on the dolls leg

The next gift that she opened

From her her sister Kate

A small red book of poems

That her sister thought were great

The book was bound in leather

And it locked with a small hook

But it never really closed quite right

For the hook just never took

The final gift was from her Dad

In the box, a scarlett bow

And a note that said "I Love You"

"I just wanted you to know"

"I'm proud of the young woman"

"That you've grown into  alone"

"And I'm proud of how you've taken"

"And made this house a home"

Willa cried and took her presents

To her room, put them away

For today was almost over

Tomorrow was another day

She gathered up her sisters

And she ushered them to bed

For tomorrow's still tomorrow

That's what Willa always said

The day had been quite special

Made her forget all her strife

But tomorrow's still tomorrow

And we still must live our life.

I don't know where they are now

Or just where they do reside

But I do know that our Willa

Is one stronger than the tide

I'm sure that they are happy

And are proud from where they've come

Because of how poor Willa

Became their sister and their Mum.
.

Smiling face
and laughing eyes
I can't believe
I fell for all those lies
I think it's best
we share goodbyes
You're just an actor in lifes play

Standing there
upon the stage
reciting speeches
from the page
while i sit fuming
full of rage
You're just an actor in life's play

To me you're just an empty shell
Who I will meet again in hell
With others words, such tales you tell
And I believed them.....I believed

I thought that
what you said was true
That you loved me
like I loved you
Then I found out
That's what you do
You're an actor on life's stage

The real you
is a mystery
You've got a
blackened history
I can't believe
you did this to me
You're an actor on life's stage

Another play
Another role
Crawl on back
into your hole
You're an empty vessel
With a blackened soul
You're an actor on life's stage

The real you
you will find no more
it's just a role
you played before
so many lives
that you've lost score
you're an actor on life's stage

Silence falls
as you will find
No actor's mask
to hide behind
The play will end
Time is not kind
You're an actor with no stage

To me you're just an empty shell
Who I will meet again in hell
With others words, such tales you tell
And I believed them.....I believed

I walk the gauntlet every day
As do those who have no place
Of permanency, somewhere they
Can call their private place
Self esteem and confidence
fills them with a state of grace
Their position, is not justified
For the rest to look on down
They don't look for your approval
Just don't kick them while they're down
Just think about logistics
One month's pay is just how close
Most are to not surviving
With no where left, homelessness
Is just where you'll be arriving
A person is a person
With a fundamental right,
To fair treatment and respect
And a place to spend the night
Being poor is not a career path
That someone picks in school
But, people who have nothing
Still respect the golden rule
I'll bet you half a dollar
That you really do not know
That they live and work along you
And their difference doesn't show.

I've lost count of the taverns
Where my face has  kissed the floor
at least twenty down in Texas
Arizona, fourteen more
twenty three in California
In Wyoming, seventeen
You can see there's lots of places I've been drunk
But, haven't seen


Kissed sixteen floors down in Nevada
Twelve in Idaho
Four over  in Hawaii
and  in New Mexico
It's not that I'm a fighter
It isn't that I'm mean
I'm just a drinker with a problem
In the places that I've been

It doesn't matter where I am
I'm not selective, not at all
I drink, I get in trouble
I get hit, and then I fall
I move around the country
Kissing floors in every state
I'm an alcoholic punching bag
Kissing bar floors is my fate

I kissed six in Massachuesetts
Eleven more in Washington
Twice, I ended on a table
So, I just count them as one
New Jersey I kissed plenty
I lost count up in New York
Up there the floors are softer
Some floors are filled with cork

Florida, I kissed the beach
Seven times, at least I think
One time doesn't count though
I kissed the beach and didn't drink
Lousianna, kissed a lot there
There's a lot of floors to kiss
I hit every bar down on Canal Street
There wasn't one I didn't miss

In South Dakota, can't remember
Not too many bars around
But, I did get in trouble once
And yes....I kissed the ground
Virginia, and Ohio
Up in Minnesota too
In Michigan, oh man oh man
I kissed near twenty two

In Illinois I kissed nineteen
In Georgia, I kissed nine
I found six teeth where I last fell
And only two of them were mine
there is not one location
Where my face and floors have kissed
I'm an alcoholic travel guide
And I keep running into fists

It doesn't matter where I am
I'm not selective, not at all
I drink, I get in trouble
I get hit, and then I fall
I move around the country
Kissing floors in every state
I'm an alcoholic punching bag
Kissing bar floors is my fate

Sitting, in the living room
my old granddad and me
another soldier dying
On our sixty inch tv

I didn't understand it
But granddad looked at me
his eyes were full and teary
he said , because of him we're free

Freedom comes in many forms
Where soldiers have to die
They're hero's after they are gone
Not before, and I ask WHY?

Grandad, wiped his tears away
He got up, and left the room
He was back a moment later
His smile in full bloom

Son, he said, just look at this
He had a scrapbook in his hands
It's full of those who fought for us
And they all died in different lands

I shed a tear each time I see
Another hero made
They fight to keep our freedom
And now to rest are laid

I sat and watched with granddad
On another night and cried
I understood the meaning
when another soldier died

Freedom comes in many forms
Where soldiers have to die
They're hero's after they are gone
Not before, and I ask WHY?

I spent hours looking through
The car for the  GPS book
I couldn't find it anywhere
It didn't matter where I looked

We were getting set to go away
And take a nice road trip
But, I couldn't find the manual
I was starting to let my mind slip

I don't admit to messing up
I didn't want to tell the wife
I couldn't find the manual
I'd hear it all my life

But, I went inside to tell her
I couldn't find the book
She would have to go outside
And maybe take a look

She said I said the manual GPS
You keep it on your lap
Not the GPS manual
I said, go and find the map!!

It's been four days since Christmas
All I've done is watch tv
cooking with the leftovers
two on how to cook the tree
turkey this and rolled up that
jamie, gordon and the rest
it was all so ****** boring
then...Nigella...she's the best

that voice that melts the butter
the jokes that go both ways
a sausage roll from her soft hands
would go on and on for days
she makes it all seem easy
even though it may not be
i didn't know the girl had hair
until christmas of '03

i've cooked all kinds of pastries
turkey pies and turkey stew
but, watching her this christmas
she showed me something new
she made a nice pavlova
god, i love the way she speaks
now, i just can't stop my thinking
of nigella's nice stiff peaks

I used to have a little bird
Bernard was his name
Whenever I would call to him
Bernard always came

One day when I was cleaning
I left the window up a bit
Bernard up and flew away
The ungrateful little ****

Fall is here
With it comes colour
Hallowe'en
and dread

Not dread from having to rake
Not dread because another year slipped away
Not dread because the kids are back to school
Dread because Christmas is coming

Dread because you haven't taken down the lights
Dread because you haven't checked the lights

Dread because you haven't got your cards ready to send
Dread because you need to update address lists
Dread because you're hosting dinner and aren't ready
Dread because you don't know who is bringing what
Dread because you can't trust everyone to bring the right stuff

Dread because you haven't got sizes for everyone for gifts
Dread because you need paper, and ribbons and bows
Dread because the 3 spirits haven't visited yet
Dread because you haven't been to buy the spirits yet
Dread because you don't know how big a bird to get
Dread because you don't know if it should be goose or turkey
Dread because your son is bringing his vegetarian "friend"
Dread because you don't know if the "friend" is male or female and you've met twice already


Dread because your'e not ready for Christmas
and it's ONLY SEPTEMBER 3 !!!

Out walking in the sub-zero cold
Nose hairs sticking together
**** frost visible on fences
Cheeks, feeling like untreated leather
Snow, crunching, underfoot
Eyes, watering as the wind whips
Ripping my tears from my eyes
And stealing feeling from my fingertips

Twenty minutes and I am numb
My thighs are tight and burning
Wind is howling like a banshee
Hitting full force, so I am learning
My ears are on fire beneath my toque
No snow though, too cold to form
Can't wait to get back home
And let the burning finish before I warm

Through it all, without a care
My dog is leading me around
I'm fully covered, and still I hurt
He's leaving gifts upon the ground
His pads must be frozen
His muzzle is a frozen mask
Finding the perfect spot for one last ***
Seems to be his only task

....all I can say is "I'm freezing, and this ****** owes me!!!"

This  morning eating breakfast
I saw an image on my toast
Was it peanut butter?
Or did I see the Holy Ghost?

I looked again and noticed
that it just looked cold and plain
Was I seeing things I shouldn't?
Or was I going...well,...insane?

I've a picture in my basement
Of the Madonna, and it cry's
I think a pipe behind it's broken
But, it just comes through the eyes

I'm not very religious ...But, I know...
there's been a message sent to me
I know this 'cause I read this
"Did you get the message?" in my tea

I was working in the garden
And I saw the face of God
It was green, and slightly muddy
In a twelve foot piece of sod

I've seen images and icons
And to prove I am no slouch
On Tuesday, I saw Jesus
He was sitting on my couch

I know I need to speak out
To prove I'm not here to deceive
But, with what I've seen here lately
It's **** hard to not believe

Don't always take the road most travelled
sometimes the best road to
take is the one most empty
and go to someplace new

Roads all have an ending place
And some of them are lost
Because people won't venture off
The highway, no matter what the cost

The road less travelled used to be
The place where people go
It's only taken by the locals now
Because only locals know

The best place isn't always busy
sometimes the best is in the back
Take the road where others go
And you'll never go off track

Hold the grass down, start a path
Make your own road where you live
You only reap just what you sow
so show me what you have to give

Travelling the popular road
You know the one you've done before
Makes you less an individual
And makes you lemming number four

So, blaze a trail, and take the road
That few have ever seen
You never know, you may end up
Where the grass is truly green

Lead people by example
don't just go the same old way
So, take the road less travelled
And have a road trip...say...today!!!

i learned something baby
by stepping out on you
i found your friend would do the things
you just wouldn't do

dinner, drinks and dancing
I was stepping out on you
In the end I found out why
I'm in love with only you

I vowed to love you over no one else
Our love was stale and stuck up on the shelf
I had to re ignite it, remember just why I love you
And the way I found out was, By Stepping out on you

I learned just what it was
that made me fall for you
I remembered all those things
by stepping out on you


I vowed to love you over no one else
Our love was stale and stuck up on the shelf
I had to re ignite it, remember just why I love you
And the way I found out was, By Stepping out on you

I've got to tell you baby
I love all that you do
I learned just why I love you
By stepping out on you
I learned just why I love you
by stepping out on you

Looking through the windows to the times that were my past
You blink and they're forgotten, they leave our mind so fast
Remember when you knew every program on tv
How you knew what time they started from noon till almost three
You knew each player on each team in every league there was
But now you know you know no one and the reason is because
We've gotten older, times are tough, our priorities have changed
We can remember all these things again, if we'd only rearrange
We look back and admire how things were simple then
How we'd like to go back there in time and do it all again
There've been improvements to our life since, but none that would mean more
Than getting up and looking outside and finding fresh bread at your door.
Folks our age miss the fifties and the sixties and the joys that they did bring
We can't stand todays new music, these new bands can barely sing
But if you listen close it's funny, it's not just us that miss the past
Look at retro nights for eighties bands, they've sprung up really fast
Our kids think going backwards might be better somehow too
So, while you may not talk about it, they think the same as you
Remember when the Beatles came and burst upon the scene
Now, our grandkids like their music, they're the best that's ever been
Nostalgia is emotional and I don't think it's a craze
We all have got a reason for going to those days
It might be just a teacher, how they treated you in school
It might be for your self esteem, back then you were real cool
But, whatever is the reason, we're here now, that's a fact
But we have a sure fire method that;s sure to take us back
Listen to some music, look at old time photographs
You'll be taken back in time again to where you had some laughs
A simple scent might set you free and move you forty years
It might just be so strong that it would bring you right to tears
So, take some time and ruminate on what it means to you
You can travel back in time each day to nineteen sixty two
Just keep your feet here, planted firmly on the ground
Or they'll lock you up forever more, because your mind it is not sound
Now, I'm off on a small journey, I won't be gone for long
I hear Captain Fantastic starting up by Elton John.

Golden hues light up the day
Violet tones at night
Roses scent fills up the air
You can find them without sight

Blue for bells not ringing
Yellow signs of spring
But still the air is scented
By the Rose, the floral King.

Sitting in a darkened bar
Ten dead soldiers in a row
My bladder was now screaming
It's time for you to go

I ordered up another drink
Left my seat, went down the hall
And on my way back to the bar
I saw a number on the wall

Help...it said, is close, close by
It's nearer than you think
Call, the number that you see
Before you order your next drink

I thought, it doesn't make much sense
I've got my life under control
I haven't bottomed out quite yet
I'm only half way down the hole

Four more drinks and then again
I stumbled down the hall
And coming back, I once more read
The notice on the wall

Help...it said, is close, close by
It's nearer than you think
Call, the number that you see
Before you order your next drink

I put a dime into the payphone
I thought I'd give it one good try
Before I hit rock bottom
I'd call them up or else I'd die

A friendly voice responded
"out of service...try again"
I laughed at this short message
Then I tried it once again

I checked the number on the notice
Dialed it, and then I heard
the message "out of service"
I laughed at every word

It seems that "out of service"
Was a title I should hold
After all I was a soldier
Out of work, and drunk, and cold

Those three words, they described me
"Out of service" , right bang on
No one cared that I was falling
Who would notice when I'm gone?

I went back to my barstool
Downed my drink and got one more
I thought, I'd better have another
Before I stumbled out the door

Before I went, I ventured
To the jukebox, checked for change
The sign said "out of service"
I thought that that was strange

Twice now, "out of service"
In a message sent to me
Was I truly worth redemption
A hopeless case for all to see

I figured that tomorrow
If I found I woke up dead
"out of service" were the last words
That were emblazoned in my head

I went back to the barkeep
Ordered one more for the road
Then I downed another soldier
"out of service" number stowed

I'd laugh on this tomorrow
If I made it through this night
I was truly "out of service"
I need help to find the light.

Life is not pre-destined
One path is not that's there
Life is misadventure
The end...you know not where

Sometimes people lead you
Other times you make your way
But, paths they are all changing
Where will you end up today

Roads are twisted and forbidden
Some are dry and some are wet
The road may be straight or be a forked one
If it's forked you best take it!!

Start a path, don't look behind you
Change the scene of your attack
Start your path and take on others
Move ahead and don't look back

Life is full of trips and stumbles
It's not just a rosy road
don't always take the road less travels
But always help to share a load

People come and join your journey
Some may stay and others leave
The one's who stay may be unwanted
The ones who don't you learn to grieve

Listen to the world around you
Listen to those from before
They know the roads that are the safest
These are the folks who know the score

If you travel on with no one
And a forked road you do get
If you see a forked road take it
advice from Yogi...your best bet!!!

"Hello dear, I'm here again"
"the sky's a lovely blue"
"The birds are flying overhead"
"serenading me and you"
"I brought along some flowers"
"some hearty mums of gold
"You always liked them planted"
"in the fall, when it gets cold"
"There's some one new beside you"
"Two plots over and one down"
"I've talked to his girl Julie"
"You, remember Jacob Brown"
"He used to run the news shop"
"selling papers and the like"
"His daughter Julie, nice girl"
"made deliveries on her bike"
"I'm sure you too will meet up"
"I said I'd remember him to you"
"Julie said she remembered"
"all the little things you'd do"
"things I never noticed"
"took for granted you could say"
"how you, always picked the third one down"
"when you bought the paper there each day"
"you always took the second one"
"when you bought something from the shelf"
"and how you always stayed and talked at night"
"if she was working by herself"
"The leaves are blowing briskly"
"I've brought a little rake today"
"but, they pile up too fast for me"
"I think they're here to stay"
"The bench is getting worn in spots"
"It's the sap from the big tree"
"I know you'd really like the view"
"I wish once, that you could see"
"The boats are almost all gone now"
"The season's all but done"
"The water's getting dangerous"
"the days are short, with little sun"
"I come and visit as you know"
"each day so we can talk"
"I hear your voice inside my head"
"It kind of drowns out the birds squak"
"I won't be here as much you see"
"For winter's moving in"
"I'm not as young as I once was"
"And my skin is getting thin"
"The cold makes my bones ache you see"
"And real soon, it's bound to snow"
"So, I will talk to you in church my dear"
"It's a warmer place to go"
"I'll leave you now, with a small kiss"
"like you know I always do"
"I'll miss our talks out on the hill"
"And I hope that you will too."

In seventy three it all started
A friendship, that's all that it was
But, their friends could only see trouble
They couldn't see it...and that was because

There was Blood in The water all ready
They were fighting, which they thought was fine
Dan and Maria were in the tornado
That had started in early Grade nine

They dated for five years before college
They promised to each other alone
But, alone only meant "we're together"
"At least....when the other's not home"

There was Blood in The water...real vivid
They're friends could all see it quite well
These two  were together, but cheating
The Blood in The Water could tell

They split when they both left for college
They said they'd stay friends while away
But, long distance...it broke up their friendship
I think it broke up in a day

There was Blood in The water, you'd see it
When these two got together again
They would fight like the devil incarnate
But their friends knew they'd hook up again

They could all see the blood in the water
They were doomed from the start...easily
They were mad more than madly in love so,
Their friends just stayed back,...just to see

That the Blood in The Water was spreading
They all knew that the next step they'd see
Was Dan and Maria get married
This was trouble with a capital T

Two years passed and Dan, he got fired
He took a new job in the east
They moved down there, though they were still fighting
Their life was just famine or feast

The Blood In the Water was scarlet
It was getting much redder each time
The one who'd be hurt by their fighting
Was their new son and that was a crime

The house that they lived in was smaller
Dan was drinking and that got him through
The days and the nights of their fighting
There was a storm coming.....we knew

But, The Blood in The Water was missing
For these two couldn't see what was there
They were a storm of gigantic proportions
And their fighting was not always fair

Maria, she'd always go shopping
Spending money she knew was all gone
While Dan stayed at home and was drinking
While he took care of their three year old son

Their friends saw the Blood in The Water
These two filling the waters with chum
They could see a divorce in the offing
They knew not when the end would become

It was obvious right from the beginning
These two were as diffenent can be
Their friends knew it right when it started
In the summer of seventy three

Now with all of this Blood in The Water
Choosing sides had to be done by all
Were you Dan's friend or her's really truly
How does one make that call?

They divorced after ten years together
It all happened with nary a fuss
Dan moved home to go live with his mother
No one was shocked...well, not us

There'd been Blood In The Water forever
There were fins following close behind
We all watched as they marriage dismantles
And as friends we feigned shock and were kind

So, Beware of The Blood in The Water
It will make all your water seem warm
You can't see it while you are both fighting
It's not there in the eye of the storm

The Blood in The Water's a warning
As a friend, stay away and get back
For if you tell either one that you see it
I'm not sure, but I think they'll attack

In seventy three it all started
A friendship, that's all that it was.