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?

Another Christmas done and dusted
time to put all things away
Is it worth the time and effort
To celebrate for just a day?

The Christmas ponies back to normal
No more unicorns to be found
No one there to see them changing
It all took place without a sound

The Christmas Grotto and the Santa
Gone and packed up at the mall
Neither one will see the daylight
Until some time come late next fall

The Christmas spirit, does it linger?
Or is it boxed away as well?
Is it something that's within us?
Or something that the shops just sell?

Boxes packed and stuffed away
Piled high beneath the stairs
Is it just the decorations?
Or is it full of hopes and cares?

Another Christmas done and dusted
Next year, there's another one
Is the Christmas Spirit still within you
Or is it packed in the box marked "1"?

"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."

I'm sitting in the corner
With a whiskey and a smoke
The barkeep pours another
The waitress tells a joke

The jukebox is on auto
But still, people go and choose
I just sit here with my whiskey
Dropping ashes on my shoes

Another Day, Another Bottle
My life is dragging by
Another Day, Another Bottle
I'm just waiting here to die
Another Day, Another Bottle
I gave it my best try
Another Day, Another Bottle
I'm just waiting here to die

Beer no longer cuts it
It's just whiskey, hold the ice
A maduro or cohiba
Makes it go down rather nice

The barkeep keeps his distance
Knows I'll order when I'm dry
But, I nurse each whiskey longer
'cause I've just no cash to buy

Another Day, Another Bottle
My life is dragging by
Another Day, Another Bottle
I'm just waiting here to die
Another Day, Another Bottle
I gave it my best try
Another Day, Another Bottle
I'm just waiting here to die

The jukebox plays some country
It plays Cash, Nelson and Joe South
It doesn't play the new stuff
It leaves a bad taste in my mouth

I sit here in the corner
With my whiskey and my smoke
Neither one has killed me
But ****, they've made me broke

Another Day, Another Bottle
My life is dragging by
Another Day, Another Bottle
I'm just waiting here to die
Another Day, Another Bottle
I gave it my best try
Another Day, Another Bottle
I'm just waiting here to die

from the time that i wake up
drink the coffee from the cup
i work hard to pay my dues
i have got the workmans blues

sitting in my pickup truck
tire flat, just my luck
sitting, waiting, to get towed
working hard to share the load

another day, another dollar
ring of sweat around my collar
i am just a working man
being just the best i can

digging ditches, hauling dirt
the day's been good because i hurt
knowing that the pain i feel
is well earned, i've earned my meal

other's sit and watch the day
wasting as time slips away
never knowing satisfaction
dying young from lack of action

another day, another dollar
ring of sweat around my collar
i am just a working man
being just the best i can

now it's time to hit the hay
tomorrow is another day
god, i love the life i live
giving all i've got to give

i hope that on the day i die
people know that i did try
and the man that digs my hole
listens as the church bells toll

i want all the world to see
i was only being me
each day earned another dollar
and earned the ring around my collar

I went back to the doctor
And I swear, this is no fib
He told me that the line I found
Was ...get this...yes..a rib!!!
I told him, doc, you're crazy
I've not seen one in years
Except for ones I eat in bars
And wash down with ten beers
He said, "Well, Mr. Turner"
"That's a rib...as sure as ****"
He said "you must be losing weight"
"and you've uncovered it"
"I've been a doctor for a long, long time"
"and believe me when I say"
"I've seen a lot of ribs my boy"
"And I'm seeing one today"
I asked him "will I soon get abs?"
He told me "that will come in time"
"Don't put the cart before the horse"
"That sir, is a crime"
"You've found a rib, you're doing well"
"Your bloodwork came back good"
"Cholesterol is way way down"
"It's showing what it should"
I said "I can't believe it"
"good blood and ribs as well"
"I've got to get on facebook"
"I've lot's of folks to tell"
I then went on to tell him
I could see below my lap
He said "it's not your *****"
"It's just a dried up ,old , skin flap"
"Take your time and you'll get healthy"
"You've more ribs to go and get"
"You're doing much, much, better"
"But, your'e still not healthy...yet"
I said "there's something wiggling"
"When I look down, past my nose"
He said, "you won't believe me..."
"But, I think you see your toes"
I couldn't take the good news
I almost fainted dead away
Good blood, a rib, and now my toes
This was a special day
The best part of this visit
The most important news
Is that because I see that skin flap
I'm no longer peeing on my shoes!!

All is forgiven
When one side gives in
You know that it's over
And will happen again

Two sides, one victor
But who does decide
If a man died a hero
Regardless of side

A President taken down too soon
In a Dallas motorcade
A hero now has fallen
And to rest a hero's laid

Two more shot dead
No war involved
both supporters of a cause
The questions answer never solved
It makes us think, take time to pause

Another hero laid to rest
Now his time is done
Some are resting where they fell
And some in Arlington
It doesn't matter much to me
They fought for their beliefs
Now they lay where heroes lay
May their soul now find relief


A simple man with nothing
Just a family by his side
Gunned down by errant gun shots
He still deserves a hero's ride

What makes someone a hero
Not war, not even peace
The fact they are remembered
And the battle does not cease

Two men of music passed our way
Both died within a year
They were both considered heroes
Though one, you rarely hear

Man, woman or child
A hero has no age
No colour, race or interest
Will mark a hero's page

Another hero laid to rest
Now his time is done
Some are resting where they fell
And some in Arlington
It doesn't matter much to me
They fought for their beliefs
Now they lay where heroes lay
May their soul now find relief

Do not weep for our dear friend
Think of him this night
In terms that he would really love
Nascar turned him "right"
We lost a friend we loved today
Our family down by one
Remember Al in your own way
He's now a star, a blazing sun
A father, granddad, brother
A friend to all who crossed his path
A man to share a story with
A man to share a laugh
A green, white, checkers finish
Is the way our friend lived his time
He was a mentor to so many
I'm glad that his path did cross mine
I will toast his life in honour
Break out the port and praise his name
For I am proud I knew him
And I hope you all feel the same
We all share many stories
Of our time with our dear friend
And though we're hurt so by his passing
The tales we tell will never end
A hangover on drambuie
A trip to watch a race
Each story shared is special
Each story has it's place
Remember now our friend Al
How he'd laugh and tell a joke
He'd not want us to weep for him
But, to go and sneak a smoke.....

I saw a myth destroyed
Actually, I saw it demolished
Stomped on, crushed
and totally abolished

We've all heard that
you look slimmer in black
Nope...big, fat lie
One myth is taken back

I went to a funeral
And the myth died
and joined the corpse
where it lied

Short, dumpy women
looking like dried out  asphalt,
with matching wedge heels
crying and wandering about

hair colour from bottles
dressed as lumps of coal
the black dress, it hid nothing
like that 13th stomach roll

little round faced women
crying little round faced tears
in hockey puck like dresses
they all went and bought at Sears

there were blondes and
there were red heads
flaming briquettes...all there
to bury a myth with the dead

some, and by some...I mean few
dressed in black...looked nice
but the myth that black is slimming
you can put that one on ice

Waiting here, full of excitement
For another new year to begin
Spiralling on till December
When we do this all over again

We celebrate one old year ending
As another one gets ready to start
How long will it take in the new year
Before all we plan falls apart?

As we age, every year seems much shorter
Turn around and it's ready to go
What it brings, well, no one can answer
So...it's time we got on with the show

Another new year is beginning
I'll try to watch it begin
But, I feel my eyes getting heavy
And I'm sure I'll be sleeping by then...

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 all the bottom line
If they can do it cheaper
Then 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

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

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?

Winds were picking up again
Another storm was due
Would it be just like Katrina
Or would it just be an F2?

Windows boarded, cars filled up
Mandatory evacuation
Leaving their homes to stand
Alone in a dangerous situation

Among it all a flower
Grabbing on to gods green earth
Just flexing with the winds that blow
Waiting for the new storms birth

The storm will hit, the levees break
Again FEMA is on sight
And just like every other time
They never get it right

Each time the water comes in
Another parish, another town
No one comes back home to claim
What Mother Nature just beat down

Among it all a flower
Grabbing on to gods green earth
Just flexing with the winds that blow
Waiting for the new storms birth

Another storm, another season
Another choice to make
Do we come back home again this time?
Or would that be a big mistake?

Do we take the brunt of natures force?
Stay, and not know if we will die?
Do we stay here and ride out the storm?
Do we take the chance to die?

And through it all a flower
Rides the storm out to the end
I pray that those who choose to stay
Were like the flower and could bend.

Which way are you going?
What will you become?
Am I doing right by you?
Are you the right one?
Is there life beyond where we
Live and laugh and love?
Will you still be here for me
when pushing turns to shove?

Life's questions all need answers
And the answers can be found
You have to do some searching though
they come with out a sound
I've looked in spots
And found just what
I was searching for
The answers to life's questions
Are just beyond the door

Will I? Should I? Could I?
Is this just what I should do?
What would my life be?
If I wasn't here with you
Questions all around the place
Some answered, some are not
you might find some more answers
Once you've lost what you have got

I've looked in half filled bottles
The answers aren't in there
I thought they were when I dove in
But, the bottle didn't care
The answers to the questions posed
Are out there, just go look
Life is for the living
The answers won't be in a book
Life is for the living
Now ....get out there and look

looking out into the street

there's a line a mile long

i haven't even opened yet

there must be something wrong

the line it stretches round the block

it doesn't make much sense

i feel a riot may break out

i start getting rather tense

the phone is ringing off the hook

i amazed at things i hear

i've never had a thought like that

i tell them 'stick it in your ear

they tell me, mate, that's just the point

i tell them to go on

i'm a paint store for the colour blind

i'm not a *** salon

for days the calls keep coming

i don't know what to say

i just run a small paint shop

known as fifty shades of grey

There's a tale that is told
In the night Yukon cold
Of the shooting of Dan Mc Grew

The truth as it's known
Is a legend that's grown
And the truth is known by very few

It's twenty years on
The Malamutes gone
There's nobody left from that night

But there's talk of some gold
That sometimes is told
Of what happened just after the fight

There is word of a bar
"The New Yukon Star"
And a fellow down there who can play

The place it is grand
The best in the land
And it's found down by Old Frisco Bay

Now, remember the poke
Of McGrew's the tale spoke
And what happened when Dan was now dead

From his neck it was freed
And the poke held the deed
To Dangerous Dan's claim it was said

When the Northern lights glow
Bringing life to the snow
They say that old Dan walks again

But twenty years past
Dan took that breath, yes, his last
And left the world of mortal men

Now, the saloon down in Frisco
With a barkeep named Cisco
Had a picture of Dan on the wall

They say that his ghost
Makes it smile when you toast
Dan McGrew when it is last call

A traveller came
And remembered Dan's name
One night as he sat with his drink

The piano was loud
And he saw through the crowd
A face, which made the man think

He once was a cop
And on occasion did stop
At the bar when Dan McGrew died

He looked at the face
But wasn't sure of the place
That he knew it, but **** boys he tried

There's a place saved in hell
For those under the spell
Of those who cheated out old Dan McGrew

In the stories it's told
how his poke with his gold
Was stolen by someone he knew

Think of the name
Of the one living with shame
From Dan's last night beneath the north star

Just who could build
A place always filled
A hotel and a popular bar

There on the stair
With long silvery hair
Through cigar smoke that made the air blue

Was the girl who once danced
And had Dan entranced
The girl known only as Lou

Time to meet the family
At least, that's what I heard
But, she asked me when the game was on
So, I didn't catch a word

We'd be heading out a week from now
Back where it all began
To meet the wife's whole family
every woman, every man

When she said she was from the hills
I didn't ask her where
But, once he started on our way
I was always looking out for bear

They lived way up in the wooded parts
Off the road, you couldn't see
I didn't see just where they were
But, I felt them watching me

We pulled on up and there they were
They made the Clampett clan look good
Eighteen folks all standing there
and two were chewing wood

The one's I thought to be her folks
Were her sister and a dog
The one that cozied up to me
Had a leash walking a hog

There was hugging and some kissing
Lots of tangled beards and hair
Then they stood and looked at me
With that mountain kind of stare

you know the one, deliverance like
where you wonder flee or flight
It was just then that I wondered
If I'd make it through the night

Her ma came up and spun me round
slapped my ***, and said "he'll do"
I wasn't sure if that was good
And I would end up in a stew

A bearded one came over,
shook my hand, and said his name was Clem
He said that mama liked me
Now, I was one of them

they was fixing to go hunting
Which was something new to me
The last time I went hunting
I shot a canoe and a tree

They said that they were hunting
The most elusive mountain prey
I was gonna hunt for ginseng
And if we found some it would pay

First, though, time to have some drinks
Eat some greasy, stinky meal
I think it was a possum
But, it might have been an eel

They said we'd get a good night's sleep
And they started howling at the moon
Time to hit the sack they said
Hunting time is coming soon

My Appalachian in-laws
Made my sphincter close up tight
They had 14 teeth between them
And I don't think one of them could write

We hit the trail next morning
It felt like miles up that hill
I thought that I was dieing
And I hadn't left a will

A sound was heard, a gentle coo
And we was running, in our boots
Clem was out in front of us
And he'd discovered ginseng roots

I picked them up, all scraggly
Like a parsnip,  dried and dead
When a holler came from brother Boo
A monster known as Red

His beard was black as coal could be
His eyes looked at each other
They called him Red not for his hair
Just 'cause he liked the color

They filled the bags with what they found
And back down the hill they went
I thought that this was insanely mad
And then Clem got a scent

Someone else was on this hill
Out hunting Appalachian gold
That's not what I would call it
But, I just call things as I'm told

We found the truck and sped away
To get paid for the days find
We had to make sure all were there
And that we left no one behind

The gun shop and the bar and grill
Was where we would get paid
Thirteen hundred bucks a pound
Almost three grand had we made

We went back with the cash in hand
Howling at whatever we saw
I guess that I'm now one of them
An Appalachian outlaw in-law

Daddy liked his whiskey
Momma liked her smokes
Momma cursed like crazy
Dad told ***** jokes
To all the people 'round here
They was ordinary folks
Momma puffed on camels
Dad drank whiskey cokes

I dropped out of high school
By the time I was fourteen
I had no direction
And I got mighty mean
Sis, she had two babies
But neither one was seen
And to all the people 'round here
We were just both normal teens

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
You do not want to grow and be like me
Listen to what I tell you, don't you do the things you see
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
Nope, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

When ever there is fighting
Folks 'round here go  blind
They all have got their secrets
they don't want us to find
That apples in around their house
Are not quite as designed
It's best to look at others
For the truth, it isn't kind

Momma kept on smoking
Daddy drank his rye
sis and I both left here
No one ever asked them why
Nothing changes ever
so nobody will try
and all the folks around here
live inside this little lie

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
You do not want to grow and be like me
Listen to what I tell you, don't you do the things you see
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
Nope, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

T'was the night before Christmas
The gifts were all wrapped
When the smell, well...it hit me
Our new puppy had crapped

I knew I could smell it
It was not just a ****
The puppy had dropped one
I awoke with a start

I could hear a slight rustle
As he went to his bed
But, the smell made me nauseous
And it turned my eyes red

I could hear a slight jingle
From the dog tags he wore
It was then that I found it
In the hall, by the door

I had not put on slippers
I had not hit the light
I just hope I could see it
Try as I might

But, as puppy bombs go
this was one for the ages
It had started out loose
And had grown in three stages

My foot found it first
And before I could halt
It was between my toes
And it wasn't his fault

If I'd turned on the light
I'd have seen it, no sweat
But, now, I was hopping
With a foot, brown and wet

I was off to the bathroom
Hopping mad, so to speak
when from out of my bedroom
I heard "What's that reek?"

It was worse than it started
Now, I'd helped it along
It was me, now in trouble
And somehow, that was wrong

Down in the kitchen
I could hear the dog snore
While, I was still hopping
On one foot by the door

My wife, said "go shower"
And clean up the rug
I hopped to the bathroom
And sat down, with a shrug

It was the night before Christmas
I should be out like a log
But, this is my life
Because I own a dog....

I was down at the  legion
Knocking back one or two
When in walked an old member
Who fought in World War Two

I got in line behind him
And when he ordered  his brew
I made a signal to the barkeep
I paid for his  too

He turned and said  thank you
I'm on a pension as a vet
1100 dollars monthly
Is all the cash I get

I said to him "no, thank you"
I'm happy to buy your beer
I owe a lot to you
I owe you all that I hold dear

He said to me "t'was nothing"
"you would do the same"
"And I'd do it again"
"If the call ever came"

He looked round the room
And he sipped at his beer
Then he leaned in real close
So just I could hear

"Son, I'll be honest"
"And I don't make no bones'
"The kids of today"
"They just ain't got the stones"

"The stones to step forward"
"To get up and fight"
"To defend flag and country"
"To do what is right"

I said, in most cases
He'd hit the nail on the head
It's a battle at worst
To get a kid out of bed

The times are a'changing
It was different back then
It took a lot less
To turn boys into men

"A soldier's a cowboy
He's one for the books
There's not many in here
I can tell with one look"

"I just did my duty
No less and no more
War isn't a game
Where someone keeps score"

He sat back and his eyes closed
Said "the next one's on me"
"I don't drink that  much
But, at most I have three"

I accepted his offer
And we talked a bit more
We talked baseball, and race cars
But not of the war

That was the past
And the past is long dead
Except for the pictures
He has in his head

I went up to the bar
And I set up an account
I would cover his tab
To a certain amount

What he did for our country
And what he did for me
Is worth a couple of beer
Or at least, each day....three

I see people driving
A normal, daily task
Even though they are alone
They're still wearing a mask

I find this confusing
A mask inside the car
But, who am I to judge them
It might not be their car

They follow all the road signs
Stop when the light is red
But, still they go on driving
With a mask there on their head

They drive with such precision
Their aim, to reach the store
Once there, they can not follow
Simple arrows on the floor

They head up every aisle
Against the shopping flow
The arrows show direction
How can these folks not know?

Their mask is also missing
It is hanging off their chin
And when the mask is *****
They can't throw it in the bin

They drive home with no problem
They have no mask this time
They do things without reason
They do them without rhyme

It's really, really simple
When you're shopping in a store
Wear your mask correctly
And follow arrows on the floor

Stay safe, keep your distance
Wash your hands, and follow rules
Kids make it look easy
While adults look like fools

Wear your mask inside the car
No one says you can't
But, please follow the arrows
So others do not rant.

I live a life that's far from normal
Normal as you all do see
My world is...well, more nocturnal
Look real hard and you'll find me

Living life like I do's different
It's not a life I recommend
It works for me, but I'm not normal
My life is somewhat at loose ends

I'm off the grid, I'm a non-person
I'm a statistic and nothing more
I'm just a shadow in the shadows
I'm looking for my next big score

You pass me as you walk the city
You think you see me, but you're wrong
You see just what I want to show you
Just look again, and I'll be gone

Under bridges, in old buildings
In the subways far below
I'm living life as I concieve it
Into the light, I rarely go

I'm off the grid, I'm a non-person
I'm a statistic and nothing more
I'm just a shadow in the shadows
I'm looking for my next big score

I see you coming from a distance
I'm gone again, before you're here
I've hiding places you won't discover
I'm on my way when you are near

I live a life beyond the reaches
Of those who want to know my name
I live my life the way I want to
To me it's only just a game

I'm off the grid, I'm a non-person
I'm a statistic and nothing more
I'm just a shadow in the shadows
I'm looking for my next big score

The night was over
The band was done
Time to hit the lights
Another Friday
In the books
And we only had two fights

One busted speaker
A broken chair
A proposal killed at ten
Time to close
And shut it down
Until we start again

Ashtrays full of hopes and dreams
Burned away with no success
Half filled bottles and empty glasses
Just signs of more excess
Time to clean away the night
And sweep away unanswered prayers
Wash the lipstick from where it stayed
And clean up the nights layers

Another morning
after another night
of at least ten broken hearts
where remnants of
scattered hopes
were dead before their start

An empty shell
hopelessness...tempting
once more..'have a try
where once the band
is finished up
you can all go home and cry


Ashtrays full of hopes and dreams
Burned away with no success
Half filled bottles and empty glasses
Just signs of more excess
Time to clean away the night
And sweep away unanswered prayers
Wash the lipstick from where it stayed
And clean up the nights layers


Each day starts fresh
Last night is gone
Nothing ever lasts
The beer is cold
The bar is warm
Last night is in the past

Regulars arriving
Band is tuning
The staff is in position
Fake Id's
abound tonight
with cougars on a mission


Ashtrays full of hopes and dreams
Burned away with no success
Half filled bottles and empty glasses
Just signs of more excess
Time to clean away the night
And sweep away unanswered prayers
Wash the lipstick from where it stayed
And clean up the nights layers


Ashtrays full of hopes and dreams
Burned away with no success
Half filled bottles and empty glasses
Just signs of more excess
Time to clean away the night
And sweep away unanswered prayers
Wash the lipstick from where it stayed
And clean up the nights layers

Just a kiss
that's all I need
to show me how you feel

A simple kiss
And nothing more
will show me this is real

I've got this feeling
and I know you do
That our souls are as one
But you know what
I need from you
Just one kiss before we're done

I need a kiss
And nothing more
To prove you love me true

Just one small kiss
Is all I ask
To make me one with you

I've got this feeling
and I know you do
That our souls are as one
But you know what
I need from you
Just one kiss before we're done

I see your eyes
They tell me yes
But your lips must seal the deal

To make my heart
Be one with yours
And show me love is real

I've got this feeling
and I know you do
That our souls are as one
But you know what
I need from you
Just one kiss before we're done

I'll never ask
Another one
For something such as this

For you're my one
and only one
And you just proved it with a kiss

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord, my soul to keep
If I make it through the night
I guess I've won another fight

Listen Lord, for now I pray
I wish to live another day
I've been bad since my beginning
I've been involved in lots of sinning

It's time I made a choice and turned toward a better road
It's time to leave my past behind
I've prayed before but was not committed
I was afraid of what I'd find

Lord, help me make it through the night
Show me how to reach the light
I only ask for one small sign
I'll give you all I have that's mine

I've found salvation in a glass
In needles and in smoke
Lord, that is just where I've been
Since the last time that we spoke

Many folks have come to me
To try show me the way
I toasted them on their way out
And continued on life's play

Now, I've had enough of all
The hurting and the pain
So, Lord, I pray to you this night
Will you listen once again?

Now I lay me down to sleep
A sinner through and through
Just let me make it through the night
Just tell me what to do

I put my faith in what I see
I don't believe in other's words
So, Lord, just help me this one time
Show you listened and you heard

This piece of land I call my own

One day shall be overgrown

But one thing that is always shown

Is that people here are free

Lavender scent fills the air

People laughing everwhere

Old frenchmen sitting on the stairs

These things just need to be

Wander close and hear the sounds

There are birds and insects all around

But, we are all beneath the ground

And these we will not see

I lie beneath the sunlit sky

For this place is where I did die

For me I ask that you not cry

I died for my country

Birds are flying overhead

Beneath their flight lay we the dead

The ground was once stained deep blood red

From here you smell the sea

When I was here the sky was black

You could not see each new attack

We'd take one hill, they'd take in back

I was only twenty three

My medals are not on my chest

They're home, I hope like all the rest

I died but did fulfill my quest

I made these people free

I will not age forever more

I will not make it twenty four

But where I lay, there's ten score more

Who believed the same as me

I came to France in Wintertime

The battlefield was mud and slime

The beauty gone, it was a crime

There's not much here to see

Our crosses stand and mark our place

No photographs to show our face

We died with honor and with grace

Please say a prayer for me

Just boys we were when we arrived

It's sad that most did not survive

We gave our souls, we gave our lives

So this world could be free

I remember though one Christmas Day

The war was stopped so we could play

I wish it could  remain this way

We had no enemy

So, here I lie beneath the earth

My life is what your freedoms worth

My tale is one but there's a dearth

Of others here like me

But now I just enjoy the view

The birds above and folks like you

Will keep my story, fresh, anew

Just please...remember me.
.

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

On Christmas Eve, the street was dead
Most folks were home or gone
The buildings all were empty
That is, except for one

Gianni kept the lights on
As he did most every night
To let the people of the street
Know that everything's all right

Gianni's was a haven
A safe house for the street
The residents were welcome
And there was always a free seat

On Christmas Eve, though magic...
would take place inside the back
For each Christmas Eve at midnight
They'd get more than Santa with his sack

Precisely at the hour
When Christmas Day became the date
The house lights dimmed just slightly
As if by magic, or by fate

There on stage with Gianni
Sat the Bluesman and a band
Some only played this concert
It was the best one in the land

Hymns and Christmas carols
Sung like angelic odes of joy
And as always ...there's the Bluesman
Smiling, looking just a little coy

You never knew his secrets
There was always more than he would show
And most folks would pay a fortune
To know just what this man did know

Holy, Holy, Holy,
and songs from years gone by
were mixed with hymns that grabbed your heart
and made most folks there cry

It was invitation only
Just the folks from on the street
The locals didn't post it
It was kept quiet.... indiscreet

He played for near three hours
His little band of odds and sods
Singing songs of Christmas
Singing songs to God

He always had his med-sin
that small flask was by his side
And Gianni, every watchful
made sure it never did go dry

The Bluesman, stopped the concert
the room was quiet, all subdued
And everyone just sat there
I swear, not one person moved

He opened up the window
Pointed to the brightest light
He said "another saviour may be born"
"And it may just be tonight"

It was on a night like this my friends
That Mary did give birth
When Jesus Christ, our saviour
was given life right here on earth

My music sends a message
To all, both near and far
The same message was sent years ago
By one bright shining star

Gianni, led them all outside
And they stared into the sky
Silent Night indeed, Gianni thought
And then the Bluesman bid goodbye

He went back through the kitchen
To where he slept most winter nights
Where Gianni, gave him refuge
You know it's safe....from the bright lights.......

People watched and wondered
As the man screamed at the crowd
He just let the people have it
He was yelling really loud

He screamed of unpaid taxes
Greenspace issues too
He yelled about the buses
He asked 'WHAT CAN WE DO"

He waved his arms quite madly
He was a lunatic on edge
He talked of water rights and of the
Local canal to be dredged

He spoke of apathy among people
And how people didn't care
I asked "Is this man the Town Crier"
I was told "No, he's the MAYOR"

It was torn and slightly tattered
storms and wind had battered
The symbol....
The tree was strong and silent
As the winds tore through real violent
At the symbol.....

Look around you'll see it
There are many there to see
A simple yellow ribbon
Tied tight right around a tree
They're there for every soldier
Who is fighting to be free
They are waiting for their safe return
They are there for you and me

That yellow ribbon hangs on tough
To the tree bark that is worn and rough
A symbol...
On the day that they come home
Show them they were not alone
Show the symbol...

It's a simple ribbon on a tree
That shows them that we care
A yellow ribbon, nothing more
We're proud that they are there
When our soldiers come on home
I think that it would just be fair
To let them cut it down
And give them a ribbon they can wear
....a symbol

At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads

Robert Johnson met the devil
Sold his soul so people say
Robert Johnson at the crossroads
Just to trade so he could play

I've prayed in bars, been drunk in church
Now I'm here to end my search
I'm standing at the crossroads, Devil come to me
I'm standing at the crossroads, Devil come to me

At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads

My bottle's empty, gun is not
My guitar across my back
I've made my choice, now hear my  voice
I ain't never going back

I've prayed to all god's angels
Said that I'm an empty shell
Today, I'm on my way to heaven
Or, I'm on my way to hell

I see someone in the distance
Has the devil come to me
Is he here to make a purchase
Or refuse and set me free

At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads
At a crossroads at the crossroads


I'm at a crossroads at the crossroads
Devil Come to me

I'm at a crossroads at the crossroads
Someone set me free

I'm at a crossroads at the crossroads
Devil Come to Me

I'm at a crossroads at the crossroads
Someone set me free
Someone set me free
Devil come to me
Someone set me free

I learned to be stronger
I am better by far
By leaving your orbit
with nary a scar

I'm a better man for it
I'm glad that we met
But, I'm thankful for all
that I lost on the bet

I want to say thank you
For coming into my life
Because now that you're missing
I have found a new wife
If I had not met you
I'd have gone on a course
That might not have ended
With our resulting divorce

I am stronger and nicer
I now know how to share
I do things without asking
And I know to be fair

That I have to say thank you
Because if we were still one
I'm sure that I'd have gone
and ****** on a gun

I want to say thank you
For coming into my life
Because now that you're missing
I have found a new wife
If I had not met you
I'd have gone on a course
That might not have ended
With our resulting divorce

I just had to say this
Thank you for the time
I am now very happy
And have been a long time

I'm a much better person
Than I was when with you
So I feel it is fair
That I tell you thank you

I want to say thank you
For coming into my life
Because now that you're missing
I have found a new wife
If I had not met you
I'd have gone on a course
That might not have ended
With our resulting divorce

It is every young boys Christmas wish
to have a train beneath the tree
It is every young boys Christmas wish
But it is not a wish of me
To wake up near the fire
To feel the heat there by your side
It's not a Christmas wish of mine
It's not a wish that I've inside
I have a tree I decorate
It's a small one, but it's there
It's a bit beat up and tattered
It's been moved around it's share
I don't have a christmas stocking
You see, it just would not hold what I need
For my gift this Christmas season
Is to rid the world of greed
I'm one of the unfortunate
I have no place to go
But, I still like it at Christmas
When we get a little snow
I sleep inside at the mission
When the weather is real brisk
But, most times I do alright
Though at times, it is a risk
I used to have the visions
Of the Christmases that passed
But, with what I drink to keep me warm
The visions seldom last
I remember one good Christmas
We had turkey, and good wine
I'm not sure what year exactly
I think it was in '89
I used to have the wish list
Of every single boy
I wanted things at Christmas
I wanted every single toy
But at Christmas, every young boy
Wants that train, he wishes hard
But, I see a train around me
You see, I live in the train yard
The wish of every young boy
I see it 'round my tree
It's a real one that surrounds us
And I see it around me
I'm homeless and love Christmas
No matter what you think
I wish you Merry Christmas
Can you help me with a drink?
A fire, yes I've got one
The train, I've got a real one too
I just can't remember as many Christmas'
As I know I used to do

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers..
You know them
You've seen them
I hope you aren't one of them...

I don't drink
Not anymore
For my entertainment
I go to the store
I go out after dinner
That's when the show will start
I go and watch the people
Who shop at Wal-Mart

Cowboy boots, a tutu, and yoga pants with "***"
with a muscle shirt and top hat
worn by a man named REX
a pair of pants just hanging
a pair of crocs and leather vest
with "she loves me for my money"
emblazoned on the chest

These are the people
Yes, you know the people
We've all seen the people
In their finest shopping clothes
These are the people
Yes, you know the people
We've all seen the people
At Wal-Mart, so it goes

I don't go clubbing
There's no fun in that
Late night trips to Wal-Mart
That, is where it's at

A woman dressed in plastic
a man all painted blue
and how many people have you seen
that look like escapees from the zoo


These are the people
Yes, you know the people
We've all seen the people
In their finest shopping clothes
These are the people
Yes, you know the people
We've all seen the people
At Wal-Mart, so it goes



Underpants, and stockings
garters and blue jeans
size 50 denim jumpers
Stretched like skinny jeans

Men wearing high heels
Women wearing...well
Use your imaginations
From a distance you can't tell

These are the people
Yes, you know the people
We've all seen the people
In their finest shopping clothes
These are the people
Yes, you know the people
We've all seen the people
At Wal-Mart, so it goes



Body parts free to see
******* and legs and butts
And people with their little dogs
The ugly, squeaky mutts

We know them
and we watch them
Take their photos
Yes....we do.
dress right when you go shopping
Or we may take one of you!!!

Bill Watson was an average man
Had a wife and just one kid
He always gave top effort
At everything he did
But, one day, Bill was shaken
He was taken by surprise
By a visit from the heavens
And it was right before his eyes
Bill, went out into his backyard
And the sky lit up so bright
It could only be an angel
Come down to him that night
He looked, but couldn't make out
the shape that  came down  from the sky
He thought what was the reason
And he found no reason why
That he should get a visit
From an angel of the lord
His life was not of great importance
He was just one of the hoard
He believed and read his bible
But didn't quite live by the word
He went to church each year at Christmas
Although his sins could not be cured
But, here in his back garden
On his knees before the light
Bill Wilson confessed his sins to god
In the dark, this  Christmas night
He told the angel of his feelings
Of all the sins, of thought and deed
And he knelt there before the angel
waiting for the penance that he'd need
But, nothing broke the silence
Only Bill there in the yard
He couldn't quite make out the angel
though he tried so very hard
Then from behind the illumination
Came the word he waited for
"You've tripped the motion light, you *****"
"Now, come in and close the door!"

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.

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

There was a shooting in Redstone
Only one man dead, none hurt
He was found dead in the morning
With just one hole right through his shirt

He was lying in the main street
Face down, right there in the dirt
He was found dead in the morning
With just one hole right through his shirt

I'T WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS
FACE DOWN HERE, IN THE STREET
I'M A GUNFIGHTER OF MUCH RENOWN
I'M JUST A GUN WHO CAN'T BE BEAT
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
LYING DEAD, SHOT IN THE BACK
I WAS GUNNED DOWN BY A COWARD
I DIDN'T HEAR THE GUNSHOT CRACK

The crowd had formed around him
Lying there, all hard and cold
No witnessess to the shooting
At least not one so bold

They knew him from his weapon
The sixteen notches on the grip
He came in on the Flyer
He won't be on the return trip

I'T WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS
FACE DOWN HERE, IN THE STREET
I'M A GUNFIGHTER OF MUCH RENOWN
I'M JUST A GUN WHO CAN'T BE BEAT
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
LYING DEAD, SHOT IN THE BACK
I WAS GUNNED DOWN BY A COWARD
I DIDN'T HEAR THE GUNSHOT CRACK

He was staying at The Belfry
He only brought one bag to town
No one knew why he had come here
Except to shoot somebody down

The papers ran the story
The next morning in THE SUN
They ran a picture and a story
Of the "Man With The Pearl Gun"

I'T WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS
FACE DOWN HERE, IN THE STREET
I'M A GUNFIGHTER OF MUCH RENOWN
I'M JUST A GUN WHO CAN'T BE BEAT
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
LYING DEAD, SHOT IN THE BACK
I WAS GUNNED DOWN BY A COWARD
I DIDN'T HEAR THE GUNSHOT CRACK

The story was quite lengthy
Considering no one saw him shot
But, as usual there was someone
Who had a story to be bought

He'd been shot from an end window
Above the Local Mercantile Store
One bullet from a rifle
And the gunman was no more

I'T WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS
FACE DOWN HERE, IN THE STREET
I'M A GUNFIGHTER OF MUCH RENOWN
I'M JUST A GUN WHO CAN'T BE BEAT
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
LYING DEAD, SHOT IN THE BACK
I WAS GUNNED DOWN BY A COWARD
I DIDN'T HEAR THE GUNSHOT CRACK

Turns out the gunman's killer
Was the one he'd come to find
The shooter was the killer's child
The only son, he'd left behind

They never met before this
He'd never ever met his Dad
But, The Gunman came to find him
And in the end, it's kind of sad

I'T WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS
FACE DOWN HERE, IN THE STREET
I'M A GUNFIGHTER OF MUCH RENOWN
I'M JUST A GUN WHO CAN'T BE BEAT
I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
LYING DEAD, SHOT BY MY SON
I WAS GUNNED DOWN WITHOUT KNOWING
I GUESS HE'S NOW THE WANTED GUN.

I'm not one for religion
I believe in what I choose
I am not one to comment
on Christians, Hindus, Jews
Put your faith in something
It's not my place to say where
But, if it doesn't work the first time
Don't just leave it there
I believe there is a reason
But, I still do not know what
Things are not determined
Make the best of what you've got
I can't explain to someone
the things I do not know
And I hate religion salesmen
On TV selling faith there on their show
Having faith is something special
It's something I can't quite get
Many people talked to me
But, I don't get it yet
I have been to church to listen
And see if I find God
But, I leave still feeling empty
I feel such a silly sod
Mary, Joseph, Angels
I can put a face to these
But it doesn't give me solace
I can't drop to my knees
The last time that I went there
I sat in back beside a lad
And when the service finished
He was sitting, rather sad
He looked at me and questioned
Between some sniffles and some sneezes
If I could help him understand
About the baby cheeses !!

There used to be a time when you were paddling down the river
You'd hear that banjo song and you'd go all a quiver
You know the song I mean it always made me shiver
Now, there's something scarier when you're out there on that river

(banjo music...deliverance theme)

No matter how far south you go there's tv shows galore
Cajun this and Cajun that and Cajun even more
Louisiana sold out it's a reality tv *****
If you find name one show that's filming you know there's 15 more

(banjo music...deliverance theme)

Of all the shows out there I don't get Honey Boo Boo
I mean, look at how that child looks we're talking nasty ju ju
There's a high priestess out there who did some Boo Boo Voo Doo
I've never seen another kid who looks like Honey Boo Boo

(banjo music....deliverance theme)

There's not a place down south not owned by Duck Commander
They own the rights on everything, on every salamander
If there's a deal on anything, these good old boys will land 'er
The Robertson's own everything, those Buck 'n Duck Commanders

(banjo music...deliverance theme)

Now, as I said that banjo song was scary and it was a real big hit
But, now it takes up second place, something else will make you '***
No need to fear the banjo being played by a hermit
It's when the State Trooper asks..."Boy, where's your paid up film permit?"

( banjo music...deliverance playout)

You know they had to do it
I mean, you could see it from the start
You could see it wouldn't last long
They set the apple 'fore the cart

He was redneck country
Driving trucks and wearing jeans
She was old school classical
Jane Eyre type, a girl of means

Her family were descendants
His was only kin
He liked country fiddle
While she liked violin

She liked Bach and Handel
Vivaldi and Corelli
He liked Jones and Jennings
and thought Corelli was spaghetti

She spokes in terms of red and white
Meaning wine...and which to choose
To him one word was missing
And that word was the blues

Polar opposites at best
There was no other way to say
We couldn't see them ever lasting
One hour...'nor a day

She would listen to her Mozart
He...to Ronnie Dunn
They couldn't see it till it ended
We saw it from day one

Two divergent kinds of style
It was wrong right from the start
And in the end, when it was over
She had a truly, Baroque - n heart

I got dumped on by a blue jay
While out sitting in my yard
The fact that I'm a Tigers fan
Made the bombing rather hard

I do not like the red birds
I mean, the team can't pitch or hit
But, I'm sure that if I pick on them
One will fly by me and ****

The Orioles, I do not like
I guess you've got the scoop
If I pick on them as well
One will fly by me and ****

There's a ball team down in Mexico
The parrots, to them I'll tip my cap
Because you know, if I 'dis them
One will fly overhead and crap

There are other teams named after birds
I don't know them all...do you?
So, I will let them off the hook
In case one comes by to pooh!

Does anyone remember when
Baseball fields were full
When you always saw a hundred kids
When you drove by every school
Pick-up games of baseball
On every field you'd pass
But now the only scrub that's there
Is just overgrown, clumpy grass

I drove on by a park today
One that I used to play baseball on
The backstop was all broken
And the dugouts, they were gone
The field was full of garbage
Weeds and echos of the past
I remembered times between the lines
With a long forgotten cast

"HEY MISTER...MOVE...WE'RE PLAYING HERE"
"CAN'T YOU MOVE SO WE CAN PLAY?"
"HEY BATTER, BATTER, SWING NOW BATTER"
"YOU'LL NOT GET A HIT TODAY"

I'd crossed into a baseball game
One from many years before
The ghosts of players long deceased
Were still playing here some more

I crossed back to the dugouts
Stepped behind and they were gone
But, as I stepped back to the old coaches box
I could hear their haunting song

"HEY BATTER, BATTER, BATTER, SWING"
"WE WANT A PITCHER, NOT A BELLYITCHER"
"HEY BATTER, BATTER, BATTER, SWING"
"WE WANT A PITCHER, NOT A BELLYITCHER"

I sat there watching the game take place
On a field not worth a ****
At least not in the present time
Then a kid hit a grand slam

He touched them all as he ran by
I saw it plain as day
The only thing I wished was that
I could join them and play

"HEY MISTER, STAND ON  HOME PLATE"
"THEN COME WALK OUT TO THE MOUND"
"WE KNOW YOU WANT TO JOIN US"
"WE KNOW IT'S HALLOWED GROUND"

I did the tasks directed
I joined the players from ago
And as I ran up to the rubber
I went as fast as I could go

I could feel myself get younger
I didn't know if it was real
But, they say as you get older
You're just as young as you may feel

I pitched two good strong innings
Then the echoes chose to fade
I knew it was just imagination
Of long lost players I had made

"COME BACK AGAIN TOMORROW"
"YOU CAN THROW THAT PELLET KID!"
"WE'VE GOT TO GET ON HOME NOW"
and...go back...you know I did!

My feet are flat, my eyes are bad

It hurts for me to run

"you've checked out fine" the doctor said

"You're in the Army, son!"

It makes no sense

They can't be right

I've even brought a note

"Stop staring son, and shut your mouth"

"'before I cut your throat"!

"But, Captain....sir"

"I'm all 4F"

"There's no way you'll want me"

"Put your arm down, boy, stop salutin'"

"I'm a Sargeant, don't you see?"

"I'm an NCO, a working man"

"Not a pencil pushing geek"

"I own your life, you're mine now boy"

"You long haired, hippy freak"

"I've got ten weeks, to shape you up"

"I'll teach you how to fight"

"Now grab your gear and follow close"

"And don't lose my tail lights"

"Welcome to the forces folks,"

"Now repeat after me"

"I joined up of my own free will"

"I'm here voluntarily"

"Select your bunk and grab some sleep"

"Your new life starts at dawn

"Forget about the world you know"

"Now, all of that is gone."

I hit the bunk and closed my eyes

And was just falling asleep

When in the room I heard a noise

"Wake up, you  long haired creeps!"

I jumped on up, as did we all

Saluting was our mission

"Drop your arms you maggots..now"

and assume the position"

"Push-ups lads, that's how you'll grow

"to respect just why you're here"

"Right now, though I don't smell courage boys"

"Right now, I just smell fear"

It took us almost half the day

To do ten that were right

If this alone would do me in

I'd be dead before tonight.

bayou baby

She comes from the swamplands
Back in the mangrove
Back where the stories say
Magic runs wild
The devil plays host
And all who visit must stay

Witches and Zombies
Together by night
Gators and Snakes there as well
The river, it changes
Cut you off in a flash
And then you end up in hell

Hair as black as Kentucky Coal
And eyes green as the sea
She's the witch queen of the swamp to most
But, she's a Bayou Baby to me
Born out of the magic's world
Where the mystic world runs free
She's the witch queen of the swamp to most
But, she's a Bayou Baby to me

She comes to town
to get supplies
That's where I saw her first
I followed close
Back to the swamp
And saw her do her worst

A simple boat
A single lamp
An oarsmen, long, long dead
A different route
Through water black
To a place where most folks dread

Hair as black as Kentucky Coal
And eyes green as the sea
She's the witch queen of the swamp to most
But, she's a Bayou Baby to me
Born out of the magic's world
Where the mystic world runs free
She's the witch queen of the swamp to most
But, she's a Bayou Baby to me

She saw me
And I looked back
She knew that I would follow
She slowed down
Her travel home
And she trapped me in the hollow

I never told
Another soul
Of who I go to see
I travel out
At night alone
My Bayou Baby waits for me


Hair as black as Kentucky Coal
And eyes green as the sea
She's the witch queen of the swamp to most
But, she's a Bayou Baby to me
Born out of the magic's world
Where the mystic world runs free
She's the witch queen of the swamp to most
But, she's a Bayou Baby to me

All I smell's Hawaiian Tropic
My vision seems very myopic
Bikini girls my visions topic
It's time to hit the surf

Lime and salty margaritas
Hot and **** senoritas
Bikini girls my visions greeters
It's time to hit the surf

Sitting here upon the beach
These women are just out of reach
In my mind I'd love to teach
But...you're the one I love

Tanned, long limbed and in the water
There's one beauty, I wish I'd caught her
Still, I think she's someone's daughter
I wish that you were here

Sitting here was all unplanned
Where all I see is surf and sand
It's heaven in this tropic land
I wish that you were here


Sitting here upon the beach
These women are just out of reach
In my mind I'd love to teach
But...you're the one I love

Ray Bans cover up my eyes
As I stare upon their oiled up thighs
I hear them yell and hear their cries
Youthful beauty at it's best

A boat drink full of Cuban ***
Brings me back to why I'd come
It leaves me feeling rather numb
I'm glad I'm here alone

Sitting here upon the beach
These women are just out of reach
In my mind I'd love to teach
Now I know why we split up.

Listen to me and I'm sure you'll see
That because of the brave
We all live free

Freedom to choose what we will be
Because of the brave
We all live free

I pledge my alliegence
I honor my flag
I honor my country
My support will not drag

We whine about government
We whine about crime
We whine about taxes
We whine about time

The freedom to choose
Of how life will be
Is because of the brave
That we all live free

We live life as free men
and women as well
For if we did not have freedom
Then we'd be in hell

We complain to the masses
Because that is our right
We enjoy that freedom
Because of the ones who did fight

They sacrificed all
So our ideals we'd save
We're the land of the free
Because of the brave

We can fight like holy demons
And in the end, nobody won
You ain't telling me we're over
I'll tell you when we're done

Just because we fight a bit
We argue and we cuss
I ain't set to call us done
There's time still left in us

I ain't going nowhere
I ain't jumpin' off that ridge
I ain't movin' out on you
While there's beer left in the fridge

I'll tell you when we're finished
Though we argue just a smidge
I ain't going nowhere
While there's beer left in the fridge

Sure, I done my cheating
But I kept my fingers crossed
I know that if I kept in on
My ring would not be lost

So I go and party
But I always come back home
It may take me a couple days
But, I know where I belong

I ain't going nowhere
I ain't jumpin' off that ridge
I ain't movin' out on you
While there's beer left in the fridge

I'll tell you when we're finished
Though we argue just a smidge
I ain't going nowhere
While there's beer left in the fridge

We always talk it over
Once they let me out of jail
I know that you still love me
Or you'd not have paid my bail

There's time for us to make up
And there's time for us to fight
So, three more beer or so
And we'll see which will be tonight

I ain't going nowhere
I ain't jumpin' off that ridge
I ain't movin' out on you
While there's beer left in the fridge

I'll tell you when we're finished
Though we argue just a smidge
I ain't going nowhere
While there's beer left in the fridge

I've never read the bible
I believe in what I see
I've never seen a miracle
What will be will be

Way back now, in sixty nine
The Mets, they won it all
It may have been a miracle
or just **** good baseball

Don't try and sell me a bill of goods
I believe what I believe
I have to see it for myself
I'm not easy to decieve
There may be things called miracles
But, most are just ...well ...bunk
I don't believe in miracles
I just think they are junk

I've led my life my own way
I don't know why, I just do
I'd never seen a miracle
Until introduced to you

You saw through my tough persona
Knew I was keeping it inside
But, you worked your way on through it
And, it's been one hell of a good ride

I always thought a miracle
involved turning water into wine
But, I know that it's something special
There's one miracle that's mine

I never read the bible
And most likely never will
But, I still need some reinforcement
I'm still quite cautious ever still

I know that you are special
And I know you love me so
I guess that is the miracle
I'd be so lost if you should go

I believe in fact and science
Without proof for me to see
But, since the night that I first saw you
You've been a miracle for me