every day i wake up groggy
seems like i just got to bed
and the cats won't let me sleep in
they're looking to be fed
and the radio alarm is just a little off the station
so some perky teen-age song
is mixed with perky conversation
i take a mental survey
to see where my body aches
another day upon life's river
waiting for the dam to break
every day the seat belt seems to get caught in the door
and every day i'm one day older
than i was the day before
and the sun keeps coming up
and the sun keeps going down
i drive to work and i drive home
back and forth across this town
at 50 miles per hour the front end starts to shake
another day upon life's river
waiting for the dam to break
every day i get these offers
promising a better rate
if i pay them every month
if i'm not a little late
then i find myself in debt and paying 22%
staring blankly at some statement
wondering where my money went
their words are so appealing but their sentiments are fake
another day upon life's river
waiting for the dam to break
day thirteen-thousand-eight-hundred-seventeen
i've observed some odd behavior
but i don't know what it means
i've mingled with the subjects
tried to fit in with the crowd
tried to laugh at the right times
tried to never be too loud
it strikes me this experiment might be a big mistake
another day upon life's river
waiting for the dam to break
MARS
the morning sky on Saturday
showed storm clouds, they were far away
we couldn't seem to get in motion
'til someone had a crazy notion
we went to town for batteries
it took two stores to find 6-Ds
we filled the woods with rock and blues
took turns when it came time to choose
chorus
i'm out in the woods
with a couple of regular guys
drinking mescal and watching mars up in the sky
i know a man a friend of mine
he claims he's not but he's very kind
he sort of opened up to me
i saw some things i shouldn't see
he told me 'bout his early strife
he told me that he loves his wife
he told me that she changed his life
chorus
friends remain, but some have gone
they say it's short, but life is long
and memories of distant days
seem empty miles of space away
time is caught in old guitars
in photographs and classic cars
tonight it's shining down from mars
chorus
i know i shouldn't reminisce
in looking back there are things you miss
and the future's filled with memories
still waiting to be lived by me
but days spent under leaking tarps
or drinking beer and catching carp
with friends who share a piece of shore
are places i keep aiming for
chorus
THE PANTHER
i was one of those who saw it
sitting at the kitchen table
a shadow moved behind the stable
something wasn't right
you see this door, i watched him claw it
heard the horses stomp and whinny
he was big but kind of skinny
darker than the night
chorus
how could he be
in central minnesota
someone must have kidnapped him
from chile or peru
now he's stalking goats and rabbits
sleeping in the corn
it must have felt more natural than living in a zoo
the forest ranger came to see me
he thought i was a basket case
the expression he wore on his face
the way he rubbed his chin
but now my neighbors all agree we,
all have seen him on our farms
we show his size with out-stretched arms
we keep our children in
chorus
in a dream last night he came to me
he set my mind and body free
he turned into a shaman
said, "brother take my hand"
in the andes on a mountain side
the spirit world was opened wide
he showed me all the creatures
that had vanished from the land
my shed was filled with pesticide
i finally read the warnings there
i didn't know or didn't care
now i feel i'm being judged
i still don't think it's genocide
i'm just a link in some big chain
outside the dusty window pane
the panther hasn't budged
chorus
4 ½ MINUTES
(Heather)
as i consider my reaction
i'm taking too much time
but what i lack in spontaneity
i'm making up in rhyme
and i don't know what to think of you
as you're staring at my shoes
'cos your shyness has got this poor child so confused
is it a lack of self assurance
or a lack of common sense
or just a lack of ever dealing
with this experience
but since you're kind enough to ask
how could i refuse
it'd be my pleasure to share this dance with you
(Bob)
this music's meant for couples
and my hands feel out of place
and my chest is getting warm where it is
pressed against your face
and i jab you with my knees
and i'm stepping on your shoes
and with the option this is not the song i'd choose
if i could open up these ribs
you could look inside my heart
there's so much i'd like to say
but i don't know where to start
i would die to be your friend
the love you wouldn't trade
but time is passing and the song begins to fade
(Heather)
this music's meant for couples
and your hands feel out of place
and your chest is getting warm
where it is pressed against my face
and you jab me with your knees
and you're stepping on my shoes
and with the option this is not the song i'd choose
i'd like to open up these ribs
so i could look into your heart
there's so much that you could show me
if you just knew where to start
your kindness and respect
is something i would never trade
but time is passing and the song begins to fade
(Bob)
as you walk back to your table
i return to drink my beer
(Heather)
and you never once looked back
or you would see me waiting here
(Both)
and i never knew your name
but my fingers touched your spine
and for 4 ½ minutes you were mine
all mine
for 4 ½ minutes you were mine
ALONE
your hair was blonde
the first time that i saw you
by the time i asked you out
it had somehow turned to red
it was just a whim
a dare i made to myself
when you said yes i knew i was
over my head
chorus
i could swing my old guitar
while breaking lamps and picture frames
kicking over chairs and plants
and cut my hands on window panes
i could crawl through broken glass
and fall rejected at your feet but,
i would still wake up again alone
i am lost inside
the story you are telling me
as i watch your eyebrows furrow
and dance atop your face
and i can not turn away
our eyes are locked by nuclear attraction
and you don't even want me
you just enjoy the chase
chorus
do i exist as me
an entity
separate from you
am i a stormy sea
that's crashing on your shore
for lonely centuries
crumbling mighty boulders into sand
pounding relentlessly
never once reaching your core
chorus
FREEDOM
deep in contemplation
my mind is running free
free from limitations
that i've set on being me
exploring foreign place
where i will never be
remembering the faces
i may never again see
the lights went out at 10 p.m.
the guards have locked the inmates in
echoes of their footsteps
fade down endless halls
the darkness never gets complete
the spot lights make it hard to sleep
it's at these times i let my mind
drift out beyond these walls
daylight hours i spend in rage
a prisoner of war
the time i've spent i've use to gauge
the battles and the score
i weigh each action carefully
against what i'm fighting for
i only rob the enemy
i only break their doors
but every revolution
is fought by mortal humans
and every soldier needs some time
to simply be a man
and every night i close my eyes
i let my soul and spirit fly
with no regrets i realize
i've done everything i can
they sentenced me for robbery
and three counts of assault
they rejected my not-guilty plea
i said it's not my fault
you made a soldier out of me
they said that's not my destiny
and i'm a danger to society
they got the point and i agree
they try to break my spirit
they talk so i can hear it
they won't release my body
'til it's down upon it's knees
but no matter what my body does
they can't confine me all because
my body's in this prison
but my mind is always free
DEEP THOUGHTS
a newspaper has blown around his feet
but he's not moving
he put a stick of gum into his mouth
but he's not chewing
there's an incident that happened in his life
that he's reviewing
while his eyesight bores a hole into a tree
chorus
he's thinking deep thoughts
and it's just out of his reach
he's thinking deep thoughts
and it's something you can't teach
'cos if you put it into words
it erodes just like a beach
when the winter storms come crashing on the shore
he drives his car a 15 miles per hour
under the limit
when the people pass they turn their heads and glare
to see who's in it
his turn signal has now been flashing left
for 20 minutes
as his car is drifting
slowly towards the ditch
chorus
it's the kind of day where everybody
seems to be distracted
like some contemplative virus
was generally contracted
our collective personalities
were surgically extracted
while our bodies walk around
complete free
chorus
my cat is staring blankly at some tiny
piece of dust
i swear that if i left her in the rain
that she would rust
i wonder does she see something at all
i guess she must
as she slowly lifts a paw into the air
chorus
PUSH THE BUTTON
on the grave yard shift he operates
a tool that could decapitate
the only living feature of this
finger pinching creature
turning gears escaping steam
the sounds that haunt a blind man's dreams
a radio that's turned so high
the speaker only tears and cries
chorus
steel goes in, remove the hand
push the button part comes out (rep)
the cutting oils have stained these hands
he used to have a country band
these hands played bass and lead guitar
in noisy little country bars
these hands could make the people dance
he wipes the oil off on his pants
he turns to make another part
it pays the bills, but not his heart
chorus
the caffeine buzz has left him tight
it always does this time of night
he'll crash in just an hour or two
but then his shift is almost through
sunlight filters through the blinds
he tried to find the darkest kind
he sleeps on summer afternoons
if nothing wakes him up too soon
chorus
steel goes in
push the button...
THE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
plastic bags and paper sacks
he's worked here since his heart attack
he never takes his job home any more
he never wears his business suit
the check out girls all think he's cute
he's happy but his arm gets kind of sore
he knows the steady customers
he has a few that he prefers
but every one gets treated just the same
he'll talk about the news or sports
he teases all the girls in shorts
and knows the older women by their name
chorus
he could run this operation
he's run more than this before
he was regional vice-president of a chain of grocery stores
and he's friendly and he's charming
and he's why we're gathered here
let's give a hand to honor the employee of the year
he always puts the eggs on top
he never lets an item drop
he knows how much each bag can safely hold
and on his breaks he roams the store
to pick up things upon the floor
and check the loaves of bread for signs of mold
chorus
when the pressures of his life
left him clutching at his chest
and he almost lost his wife
and the kids all left the nest
and he couldn't go to phoenix
just to play golf in the sun
it seemed his life was over
but a new one had begun
now each and every Saturday
he comes to watch the grandkids play
it's soccer and it's tee-ball in the park
and every day his final sight
is the woman he will kiss good night
before he lays beside her in the dark
chorus
FRED & EDNA'S
chorus
fred & edna's on the banks of the black river
you can reach it by canoe
if you're passing by this way
pitch a tent or just stop in for your dinner
there's always someone listening
if you've got something to say
at the corner sits a man with whisky 7s
he never talks to strangers
but then everyone's his friend
he drives his tractor, 'cos the sheriff took his license
he's only got one story
and he's practicing again, at
chorus
they play softball at the diamond by the churchyard
the team from fred & edna's
just lost their game today
so it's quiet and the mood is kind of somber
but the spirits will be lifting
when the juke box starts to play, at
chorus
now fred is just a memory and a picture on the wall
and edna isn't hear much, though she lives just down the hall
and their son keeps all the books
and he bartends every night
and except for those he started
he breaks up all the fights, at
chorus
on the weekdays, edna likes to play her cribbage
there's five cards on the wall
from a perfect hand she had
she'll adore you if you ask about her grandkids
bruce is in the navy
but john's a happy lad, at
chorus
IF I MET YOU ON A TRAIN
(Chapter 1, Fantasy and Regret)
if i met you on a train
would our lives still be the same
in the stillness of a summer's evening
smoking 'cross the plains
in an antique dining car
with a brass and wooden bar
with the cushions fraying
a gentle swaying
a whistle from afar
we sip our cabernet
and our nerves have turned to honey
fore shadowing the amber fluid
surging through our veins
and a long and stressful day
has slipped into the evening
as the train slips to a mythic land
where aphrodite reigns
(Chapter 2 The Courtship)
if i met you long ago
would we be too young to know
of the sympathetic ecstasy
of a string beneath a bow
and i think of all the years
and the silence that i feared
when my thoughts could spiral
through empty space
before i had you here
and you claim you never dance
but your face can find the rhythm
to the stories that you tell me
with the words i never catch
and from deep inside my trance
i'm supported by the ether
i'm a man who lives in darkness
being blinded by a match
(Chapter 3 Happily Ever After)
and i wake up in my chair
you're asleep but you're still there
and the t.v.'s playing reruns of
the same shows every night
and i didn't mean to stare
but you're suddenly aware
and you turn your head
and smile at me
and every thing's all right
it's all right...
WHY AM I STILL ALIVE?
chorus
why am i still alive?
and all the friends that i know
every place we shouldn't be
is every place that we go
i like the chicken fried steak
with a slice of swiss cheese
i wash it down with some beer
and a side of gravy
chorus
don't have a radon detector
carbon monoxide could get me too
my smoke detector isn't working
i took it down last time it blew
chorus
don't have an i-r-a
don't even know what it means
don't know the interest on my visa
don't read no fortune magazines
chorus
i never back up my computer
don't write down half of my songs
i never put away the vacuum
i've got no place that it belongs
chorus
i check my oil religiously
each time i see the white smoke
and if it needs less than a quart
i just elected a pope
chorus
don't hang my food from a tree
i'm never hassled by bears
'cos when i'm out in the woods
they're all busy hiding theirs
chorus
THE IMPOSTER
there's the slightest hesitation
from the shadow of a doubt
as his hand rests for a time on the receiver
there's a moment's contemplation
as he casts the demons out
and he calls upon the skills of the deceiver
his voice is loud and clear
but he doodles with his pen
his notebook's filled with
lightning bolts and ravens
is there someway they can hear
that he is visible again
like a fugitive that's wandered from his haven
chorus
what will they do
when they see him for what he is?
what kind of feelings will this foster?
who will take pity
on a life as sad as his?
who will be a friend to the imposter?
in his dream he's running naked
through a crowded shopping mall
and it bothers him that no one seems to care
and he feels if he can make it
down this one more busy hall
there will be some kind of shelter for him there
but the hall is growing longer
and the people start to scream
he wakes up with his blankets on the floor
and his guilt has gotten stronger
though he knows it's just a dream
it keeps coming back like waves upon the shore
chorus
YOU'VE NEVER BEEN SO ALIVE
listen, did you hear that?
it could have been a building
crashing to the earth in the distance
it could have been a dead leaf
falling through the branches of resistance
and the fire cracks like a broken leg
and throws its shrapnel on your lap
then suddenly is as quiet
as a peaceful christmas night
and you notice that the stars are fading
on the horizon to the west
there's a low a distant rumble
and a flickering of light
you've never been so alive...
and the freshening breeze brings a hint of ozone
to excite a sense
you didn't know you had
your muscles tingle
your thoughts are clear
your body's ready
in case things get bad
and the tempest strikes with a sudden fury
and you seek shelter
in a nylon tent?
and the flashing light
reveals a silhouette
and you're amazed how far
the trees have bent
you've never been so alive...
and the thunder tries to cleave your heart
you may have screamed
but you can not hear
and a tree snaps like a brittle twig
and the ground trembles
as do you in you fear
you notice there's a gap
between the thunder
and the lightning
you feel the storm i waning
you know you will survive
and a heavy rain is drumming
on the nylon by your head
and you're drifting off to sleep
you've never been so alive...
A GOOD DAY
chorus
it's been a good day
i got some things accomplished
it's a good day
i read the paper on the porch
walked around in my bare feet
met the neighbors 'cross the street
found a dollar in my jeans
remembered what contentment means
it's been a good day
and i talked for twenty minutes
to a salesman
who called me on the phone
tried to sell me his long distance
but he met with some resistance
so we talked about the weather
said that we should get together
on a good day
it's been a good day
and i hardly think about you on a good day
i just move on with my life
just because the mind forgets
doesn't mean that it regrets
sure the dark days brought some pain
but the garden needed rain
chorus
it's been a good day
and the heat has finally broken
it's a good day
for wearing sweaters in the park
i can hear the children playing
but i can't hear what they're saying
they seem to be excited
too bad grown-ups aren't invited
chorus
it's been a good day...