No matter what I do
I'm always in the wrong
Your disappointment in me
Made me write this song

I'll tell you it's black
You'll tell me it's white
If it feels wrong to you
To me it feels alright

Patience is a virtue
That you couldn't afford
It's so much easier
If you slam the door

So put me in these chains
Throw away the key
Serving this sentence like the convict
That you see in me
You've got the wrong man
Tell me what is the crime
I've got to get out alive

You close your eyes
And make me out to be a thief
I run around in circles for you
But I still can't get relief

And no matter how hard I try
It's never enough
Is this a losing game
Am I not worthy of your love

Ignorance is bliss
But I'm not a happy man
All these questions through my head
Is this all part of a plan

So put me in these chains
Throw away the key
Serving this sentence like the convict
That you see in me
You've got the wrong man
Tell me what is the crime
I've got to get out alive

I'd like to tell a story
Of a place that I once knew
That lived a loving family
As far as anybody knew.

They never touched a drink
And they hardly ever swore
Until Pa would come to think
There's gotta be something more

More to life,
More to this
More than the woman
Who gave birth to his kids

Well one night just after supper
Little Timmy wiped his hands
Off on his trousers
And that was where it would end.

Pa took a deep breath I remember well
And told those six people
Around that table
That they could all go to hell

Well you would think that it'd be over
That he had said all there was to say
He was nearly to the door
When little Jimmy started to pray.

"Lord give my mother patience
So she don't get too mad
And forgive my fathers behavior
Along with the six or seven drinks he's had.

Protect my sisters
And me and my brothers too
Cause Lord there ain't no telling
Just what he's about to do."

Now Ma told those little children
"Wash up and go upstairs."
Not one of them moved an inch
And Pa went to grab a switch
Wouldn't you know a car
Would show up there.

It was old pastor James
Who happened to
Be driving through that day.
"I wanted to stop by to tell you all
That we missed you in service today."

Now Pa was just about to speak
When a little voice came soft and sweet.
It was little Susie
Who grabbed the preachers arm
He stooped down to Susie's level
And aided to her charm.

"Pastor James, I have a question
And I know I don't understand,
But how do you get to Heaven
To that far away distant land?
If you have a map
Could you show me and my siblings near?
Cause I know it would be much better
Than another day living here.

How do you get to Heaven
On that bright and Godly shore
How do you walk on streets of Gold
Instead of this old rotten floor?

How do you get to Heaven
Pastor could you tell me please
We've had a life of hardship
And now it's time for a life of ease.

So shows through eyes of those, who's beauty through velvet lining glows.

Such a vision so confound,
These shadows on the wall.
God forbid one make a sound
Lest all of them should fall.
What to do if the sun should rise
What then would become of they?
Shall each ashen spirit meet their demise
And should send my friends away?

Such a vision so concerning,
This reflection in the glass
Such a question my curiosity yearning
Perhaps a man from hours past?
What to do if the glass should break
What then would become of he?
Such a thought for my own sake
Would he be slain or rather be set free?

Mother earth is dying
This much we know is true
She needs someone to make a change
Maybe me and you

There are fires spreading
And it's time we choose a side
For us to figure out
Do we feed it or do we fight?

Look at the headlines
They may be just another face
But they're one of us
They're part of the human race

Put down the signs
Build up the bridges
Show us how we're alike
And stop pointing out the differences
There's another chance
It doesn't sound so absurd
When we stand hand in hand
Across the world

Give them a call
So they know someone will hear
And show them all that they're not alone
We are only human
We all make our mistakes
And we all have our sins to atone

Put down the signs
Build up the bridges
Show us how we're alike
And stop pointing out the differences
There's another chance
It doesn't sound so absurd
When we stand hand in hand
Across the world

When hardship falls
And you don't have a leg to stand
But if you look beside
We'll be there to hold your hand
Well I hope and pray
That one day we will learn
That to be free it's something
We all have to earn

Put down the signs
Build up the bridges
Show us how we're alike
And stop pointing out the differences
There's another chance
It doesn't sound so absurd
When we stand hand in hand
Across the world

Put down the signs
Build up the bridges
Show us how we're alike
And stop pointing out the differences
There's another chance
It doesn't sound so absurd
When we stand hand in hand
Across the world

A library is for those who have eyes to see what's there to not be seen, and the ears to hear that which is not spoken.

Today, I covered the mirror.
My day no longer starts
With the same face that I used to see.
Today, I put away the scale
That, every time I would step upon it,
Would mock and laugh at me.
Today, I put my phone away
To hold a door for a man I did not know.
Today, I pay attention to the words I say.
So I don't have to reap what I sow.
Today, I did not spend several minutes
Trying to brush my hair.
I used to worry about what people say
But today I really just don't care.
Today, I only wore one set of clothes.
I did not change throughout the day
Instead I was content with what I chose.
Today, I took a breath and I let it go.
The pain, regrets, the burdens,
That I thought I would always know.
Yesterday is over,
And today I can't wait to see.
How tomorrow  will be different
From the life after me.