The blinking lights of the radio tower Are shining through my window And somewhere off in the night, there’s a gun-shot That reflects through alleys
And near a lake, there’s a house decomposing And across a pond is a meadow Under a bridge, there’s a tiny fire burning And above your head is a halo
And I’m alone, lone, lone, but I ain’t lonesome
The screeching brakes of the Chrysler LeBaron Destroyed the silence of the day And the people walking by screamed in horror as they watched a young life slip away And in a back room a deal’s going down And on a stage a hopeless band will play A girl will cry and her boy will die in a war-zone many miles away
And I’m broke, broke, broke, but I ain’t broken
Ride Ride Ride
People around here don’t get me And the ones that do, are gone Can’t wait for the waters to lift me Got my education through song ‘Cause you won’t get far without a dollar And you need many to survive If I had a sweetheart I’d call her Discuss the troubles of life
I could ride ride ride Let the sun warm my face But I won’t hide hide hide In the shadows of this place
If you need a reason, then I got one I feel it in my soul It hits me at the most random times You just gotta let it flow ‘Cause I love the warmth of my bed But I’d trade that for the road Just need somewhere to rest my head A hardwood floor’s as good as gold
Brokenhearted Woman
I’m just a traveler on a broken road Lost and alone, just trying to find my way back home Six strings to the wind, and a heart of gold Lost track of time and I’m headed out on my own Well the sun is killing my eyes, but I keep walking into it I’m on my way to see what lies up the block And as my feet traverse these american streets They will carry me to where I need to be
Hard nosed, brokenhearted woman You’ve got a reason to be sad Blacked out, beaten, and discouraged You wiped your tears away with a bloody rag
You don’t have to be a poet just to rhyme And there ain’t no shame in just being there for the ride While you keep taking orders from the nine to five I’ll be finding myself south of the Dixon line And it’s a crying shame, but I wipe away those tears No use losing sleep over what’s already lost I’m hardly on the path but I can find my way And I’ll buy my happiness back at any cost
Curse my name and cross my heart Burn my bridge and never part Beat me down but I’ll get back up And knock you over
Hometown Eulogy
Lead in the procession Divvy up his possessions Tie on a few with the boys before you go Borrow a suit, steal a tie Look away while the children cry It’s gonna be a long, long, long night
Gale force winds, and leaves and trees decorate the day And the sun came out for just a little while to see him on his way
Grab hold of his ashes Watch as the ocean crashes on the rocks At his old drinking spot Say a few words that he’d want to hear Light up a joint and crack a beer It’s time for him to go
Gale force winds, and leaves and trees decorate the day And the sun came out for just a little while to see him on his way Be on your way.
Last Words
It happened right when it all went down It all commenced right as it turned around
An old sun shinning A young gun binding A knife in his boot Treasure in the loot I think we’re out of tune
And break this window as we leave Don’t forget to keep the door unlocked Leave a trail of volcanic rock Hypnotize me into loving you Anesthetize the ones who care And leave only those who dare to reconcile I’ll be here for a while So take a chair, and listen close To the words he wrote To the last words that he wrote To the words he wrote
Hometown Eulogy
I can feel it breaking And I’m taking my time waking up Set the alarm, and sleep through it Avoid responsibility, there’s nothing to it
Oh, play piano with your tongue Live and walk among the broken ones Live for a noble cause Die for your own reasons just because Oh, just because
She is a killer, and I’m just filler for her fantasies I got the heartbreak, I got the heartbreak disease
I’ll eat my dinner from a can Make my living with my hands Play in dirty country bands Won’t die working for the man I’ll make my way Oh Lord, I’ll make my way
Live in a house up on a hill Drink until I get my fill Won’t pay taxes or my bills Live for the moment and the thrill I’ll make my way Oh Lord, I’ll make my way
Panhandling In A Ghost-Town
Down a winding road, even farther than I know There lies a burial spot And behind it is a foundation of a home Farmland used to stretch for miles and miles Now it’s overgrown And the people have all gone back into the soil
Don’t waste your time on it Don’t spend your life on fences Don’t die rich or poor God don’t live here anymore
The sheep have all gone home And the birds have all lost their wings And the houses have all been looted Of all their most valuable things
Even farther down, there’s a storefront town That people used to go to But the mill shut down after poisoning the water Turning it to brown from blue Now the alderman and the congressman Could really care less of the plight Oh, they say “let nature take it’s course...” It’s out of mind and out of sight
The smokestacks still stand tall By the river But the caskets stack up higher than those bricks Higher than those bricks
Victory Day
As the turnstiles turned, I broke into a run Thought I saw a revolution but it hadn’t quite begun By the water in a bottle there was a note from a man Describing plans for a sailing ship
A draft card fire in a cast iron stove Young, smiling couple eagerly waiting to elope Blame it on the young ones, then pin it on the old Grab hold of the unknown before we all get sold
And it’s a high and mighty price to pay This ain’t no victory day - grey day From the east bay, to the New York freeway
As the overpass passed over me I wanted to break free from my surroundings I could hear the murmuring I could hear the churning See books burning, people un-learning
Then the sky broke into and it started raining The people feigning their disdaining feelings All the lovers will kiss for the last time As the sunshine disappears
And it’s a high and mighty price to pay This ain’t no victory day - grey day From the east bay, to the New York freeway From the sea, to the sky To the dirt buying the dead From your feet up to your head
Not Goin' Far
This thing that I built I made with my hands That’s my blood, not yours That lies on this land
Yeah, the listeners will surely turn a deaf ear And these things to confusing will soon become clear As the windows slam shut all the doors will unlock Wave good-bye to the mainland as we all cast-off
Well, my knuckles are bare And my face is road worn As this madness ensues I will wait to be born
Stay with me, my darling, I’m not going far I’ll sleep with my ear right over your heart
As the whisper dies out, I’ll remember the words And I swear that I’ll speak what was wrote To the sun and the birds
Yeah my darling, my darling, I’ve nothing to know I’ve learned all the lessons, now it’s time to go.
