Had To Be

When I grow old and all my bones have turned to glass

Come down and visit me by the sea

I might convince you as the hours slowly pass

All of this is as it had to be

Every little boy thinks he’s a superman

who sees what no one else can see

You’ll see me smiling when I see you understand

These songs and stories were for me

I knew you when you were a shadow on the lake

before you even tasted air

and now you’re trying to decide which road to take

and who to be when you get there

I used to want a Lincoln Continental

and I used to want a watch of solid gold

Time went by and I got sentimental

Give me things that keep me from the cold

I heard some friends of mine had crossed the river

Good or bad their stories are all told

Now they’ll walk along that shore forever

I hope that where they’re walking it’s not cold

Not long ago I was a worried man

All night I’d toss and turn

- Didn’t do the crime - Still I did the time -

I had a lot to learn

Someday all this will be a memory

We’ll all look back on this and smile

Just another molecule of history

---It’ll take a little while....

Ain't So Deep

Ain’t  So Deep

I’m gonna take me a passenger train upstate,

take along a sandwich or two

I’m gonna sleep real deep while the rails run straight

Otherwise I’ll think about you -

And I hope you think about me too

You say that your encyclopedia is much too old –

The information’s all out of date

I tell ya most of the stories have yet to be told –

You oughta read ‘em while you still see straight – 

Later might be too late

I dreamed about an alphabet I could not read

It put me in a thoughtful mood

It did not burn and I did not bleed

When I noticed that I’d been tattooed
my reaction was not subdued

Some days it takes me a miracle to get out of bed –

I feel like I was beaten to sleep

But it’ll be OK ‘cause it’s all in my head,

This hill can’t be that steep

And this water just ain’t that deep

April, 2007