he was going to teach me how
to pick a lock and hot wire a car
but he went back to prison
I swear, he had a good heart
he was just livin’ the life he knew

adopted in infancy
an idyllic ranch life
going out barefoot and shirtless in the snow
to feed the horses
still, divorce happens
his mother got custody
but blanked out in permissiveness
allowing him whatever
she wanted to play good cop
as divorced parents sometimes do
he would disappear for a week
communing in the canyons; survival skills
drinking water by the rocks
checking jack rabbits for spots
“everything is seasonal” he would tell me
when his mother remarried a drunkard
my friend would don dark clothing and a ski mask
to rob his drunken step dad every payday
to put food on the table
you see, he had a good heart
just livin’ the life he knew

leading a life of drugs
and not just using
he could drink his stuff but also liked Perrier
a life of crime
store front window smash and grabs
in stolen cars
getting involved with big time dealers
still, I swear he had a good heart
just livin’ the life he knew

once asked him why
he never offered me drugs
“Why would I?” he replied
you see, a friend would never do that
he would jump up and say, “No!”
if I pretended to reach for a cigarette
--a regular cigarette
he knew well their addictive nature
knew his lungs were tweeked
and didn’t want me to ruin my voice
I had a beautiful voice
he had a good heart
just livin’ the life he knew

sent to the fire camps up north
in his element in the woods
at peace with himself out in nature
knowledgeable, skillful, personable
upon release they told him
"stay clean till November"
he would have a job waiting for him
he had a good heart
but went back to the life he knew

the last time in prison
he “stuck” someone
it scared him because this time
he didn’t feel anything
didn’t ask him what he meant
we never talked about it again
still, I swear he had a good heart
just livin’ the life he knew

he was in the hospital
last time we talked
he knew he was dying
his sister told me he was scared
it’s been a long time
but I think he was in his twenties
a life of hard times
a death in regret
surely God knew
he had a good heart
he was just livin’ the life he knew

Livin in that enthroned slum I'm dancin like a mischief creep
Steady mobbin arriving sometime-ish, I roll deep
I got a hot skull, I cause an eruption, everybody tweeked their nobs
With vices of virtue, I dont wanna hurt you shifty switch we mob
In chaotic bliss, what did I get myself into this time?
All of this grand design, the full experience
Go get some wisdom, it makes no sense. I wouldnt get myself out of this one

Miss C was alluring me
The way she was slumped over
as if she didn't care
And S was always bubbling over
Whipping back and forth
as if she was a live electric wire
But M caught my attention most
Oh ! She'd boast and boast
raise her ******* and voice
And in time she twirled
around my roulette wheel
Homing in upon the center
She started to touch all of my numbers
Even tweeked me with her finger
Then it all became clear
when the ball fell on the number
"Oh damm ! I'm tired ! I think I'll
take you home and slumber"