You’re the dark of night
You steal the sun from the sky
You’re the dark of night
Make the songbirds cry
You’re the dark of night
And I don’t understand why
You told me you loved me
Sweet as a slice of peach pie
You told me you loved me
Intoxicating as rock and rye
You told me you loved me
You knew all along it was a lie
You took my heart
Made me think I could fly
You took my heart
Told me I was your guy
You took my heart
Was just a piece of meat for you to fry
You’re the dark of night
You steal the sun from the sky
You’re the dark of night
Make the songbirds cry
You’re the dark of night
I’ll never understand why
I really don’t blame him he chose not to call
he’d been there for hours crouched in the hall
he sent me the message my heart tore in two
said someone was dead he said it was you
there should have been bells
so everyone would know
’cause the silence is killing me
since you had to go
Why didn’t I see you were so lost?
Would have done anything, paid any cost
But I never asked, and you never said
And some days I wish, it was me instead
there should have been bells
so everyone would know
’cause the silence is killing me
since you had to go
no matter how black there’s always hope
but it’s hard to see at the end of your rope
in the middle of love now there’s a hole
silence so loud taking its toll
there should have been bells
so everyone would know
’cause the silence is killing me
since you had to go
one day she was crawling on the floor
in a pale green onesie
everything she found straight in her mouth
or up her nose
one day she was crawling on the floor
and the next day I looked down
and she was gone
one day she was riding her tricycle
backwards around the yard
getting madder by the minute
’cause it didn’t work
one day
she was riding her trike
and the next day I looked out
and she was gone
one day she was painting her nails
in alternating polka dots
foreseeable fuchsia and lavender
different each hand
one day
she was painting her nails
and the next day I looked in
and she was gone
every time I turn away
five years gone like yesterday
and every time I look at you
my little girl’s gone and turned into someone new
one day she walked down the aisle
I wanted to cry but I tried to smile
we had a dance and some cake and champagne
all of us together
one minute
she was there
and the next, I looked back…
sun glowing gold on the tree in the yard in the
morning when I first wake up
the toast and the tea and the butter and jam
as I have a slice and a cup
over the meadow a hawk soars and glides
the sun on his wings as he drifts
splashes of blue in among all the clouds
I watch and I ask myself what will I do with these gifts?
Birds sing the sun to bed from the sky
Warbling for all that they’re worth
Then it’s grey in the morning with no hint of blue
Raindrops splatter the earth
But the storm blows away leaving the rainbow
That’s there every time that it lifts
Every color that I’ve ever seen
Within, and I ask myself what will I do with these gifts?
You’re here with me and I look in your eyes
And see them reflecting love
The sun and the storm and the colors and birds
And life are all gifts from above
The more I reflect on the things I’ve been given
The more my attitude shifts
Every night every day every moment
It’s right that I ask myself what will I do with these gifts?
took the kids for a ride to see the wildlife
they were all whining about being bored
so I took away their electronic devices
and loaded ’em up in my old Ford
they wondered where we were headed
kept asking if we were going to the zoo
I said it was a surprise and they’d find out
wasn’t what they expected, ‘tween me and you
I pulled onto the highway south of Fairfield
went down 84 towards Teague
I’ve done this drive up in South Dakota
but that’s way out of my kids’ league
“Now, off to the right you’ll see an armadillo
thought his armor’d protect him from a car
and he rolled up in a ball and hopped a bit
and the car rolled on, and, well, there you are.”
“Up here on the left is a family of squirrels
chasing nuts on the wrong side of the road
and further along there’s couple snakes
and they were chasing what might have been a toad.”
“And over there down in that ditch
is a deer who crossed when he shouldn’t.”
Asked ’em all how they liked the tour
They might have tried to answer, but, well, you know
When we got home they were kinda quiet
two of ’em went and cleaned their room
the oldest one took out the trash
youngest was on the patio with a broom
Their mother wondered what was going on
wondered why the kids were all so quiet
I told her I took ’em for a drive
and she said sometime she oughta try it
You know everything I think and everything I do
Everything I say before it’s spoken
You could see it all Back when I was small
You could see the ways that I was broken
You can see inside me See the things I’m not
See the things I want to try to be
I don’t understand It’s beyond my reach
How it is that you can really see me
No matter where I go
Up above or down below
Even in the darkest night
You’re the brightest light
All the ways you love me All the ways you care
Like trying to count the grains of sand
You know when I’m anxious When I lie awake
I feel the gentle touch of your hand
You know I mean no harm I try to do what’s right
I slip and fall and hurt myself, and you
But I know you still see How very hard I try
In everything I think and say and do
No matter where I go
Up above or down below
Even in the darkest night
You’re the brightest light
Back when I was small You could see it all
I was broken but you could see right through
You know that I’ll keep trying For as long as I may live
Someday I’ll see myself the way you do
by a certain age should have more sense
I’ve seen it all a dozen times, done most of it twice
on the path for fifty years I know where to go
then I lose my mind and lose my way and wander off again
check the map to see where I went wrong
not the first time I’ve had to sing this song
dying of thirst
should have checked it first
I know I should have known it all along
should’ve checked the map before I went wrong
singing birds in the branches overhead
see something tasty just out of reach
a step or two is all it takes to satisfy the urge
then turn around no idea where I am
check the map to see where I went wrong
not the first time I’ve had to sing this song
dying of thirst
should have checked it first
I know I should have known it all along
should’ve checked the map before I went wrong
look around and realize you’re lost
look ahead and recognize the cost
and know you’re not the only one who’ll pay
I’ve had this map all my life
got it from my father when I was young
I put it in a drawer forgot it for too long
best to keep it handy for when I get off the path
check the map to see where I went wrong
not the first time I’ve had to sing this song
dying of thirst
should have checked it first
I know I should have known it all along
should’ve checked the map before I went wrong
clouds push in front of the sun
then the rain falls, so that’s okay
soaks the dirt, runs off down the street
work done, they drift away
and then we get the sun
warm and dry and bright
even days when it’s too hot
always darken to night
everything every day
comes along and it goes away
good or bad, it’s what you make it
how you think is how you take it
paint the clouds, dance in the rain
not much to lose, whole lot to gain
love it all, find a way
everything every day
a million years ago when I was young
so many things I wasn’t allowed to do
these days, a million years old
I’d rather not if it’s all the same to you
everything every day
comes along and it goes away
good or bad, it’s what you make it
how you think is how you take it
paint the clouds, dance in the rain
not much to lose, whole lot to gain
love it all, find a way
everything every day
it’s my nature to grumble some
even when I know I’ve got it good
but I try to recognize how good I’ve got it
be thankful for it all, like I should
everything every day
comes along and it goes away
good or bad, it’s what you make it
how you think is how you take it
paint the clouds, dance in the rain
not much to lose, whole lot to gain
love it all, find a way
everything every day
I decided not to write a song
as you can tell that didn’t last long
got stuff to do and I don’t have time
for chord progressions, rhythm and rhyme
inevitability
my idiosyncrasy
my predisposition
family tradition
music is integral to me
that stuff I got to do won’t do itself
put that song back up on the shelf
but just try telling that to my poor brain
like facing down an oncoming train
inevitability
my idiosyncrasy
my predisposition
family tradition
music is integral to me
pressure builds up in my head
oozes out and starts to spread
gets down in my fingers pretty soon
nothing else to do but write the tune
inevitability
my idiosyncrasy
my predisposition
family tradition
music is integral to me