Woke up this morning on the bridge of this big boat Some kind of steamship, paddle wheel, a whole town afloat A throng of people milled that misty morning air And I just gawked around and pretended not to stare But the boss he seeks me out and nudges me aside Says I got a job for you, now don’t you run and hide Got this guitar on your shoulder, same as me Now is there any place on this earth you’d rather be O Boss Man, can this really all be true Is this an invitation for me to play with you O Boss Man, if it is then count me in Cause I promised myself not to turn away again He says there are people here who’ve been bitten by the snake It may sound strange at first but it sure ain’t no mistake Cause they’re pilgrims all and that’s what they’re doing here So let’s just play a few tunes, help them walk right toward their fears O Boss Man, can this really all be true Is this an invitation for me to play with you O Boss Man, if it is then count me in Cause I promised myself not to turn away again He says your brother’s here and your sister she’s here too And they’re both thrilled to share this space and be with you Cause we’re all on this boat together and headed north And the music’s in your blood, brother let’s hold forth O Boss Man, can this really all be true Is this an invitation for me to play with you O Boss Man, if it is then count me in Cause I promised myself not to turn away again Woke up this morning on the bridge of this big boat Some kind of steamship, paddle wheel, a whole town afloat With all these pilgrims in the misty morning air And I’m not leaving here, I’m not going anywhere O Boss Man, ya I know that this is true The invitation, the music, the chance to be with you O Boss Man, go ahead and count me in Cause I’m never never gonna turn away again O Boss Man, I can feel how this is true Cause I’m feeling my way through this music right to you O Boss Man, don’t you know that I’m on board Yippee cay-yay-aye, hallelujah, forty miles from the shore…

Waldorf Astoria, must be New York City I think I’m in the Greatest Gatsby Fat furs and high-heeled folks, my head’s on a swivel Is that Daisy Buchanan, no it can’t be But this lobby’s jammed with stars, there’s Jen and Ben and Brad But I can see them most every day At the checkout counter in what used to be Grand Union Their pictures in the tabloids anyway The walls are filled with portraits staring down at me Check out this guy in the long white beard I can’t tell right now if he’s smirking or laughing But I can tell you that it’s all pretty weird So what am I doing here? Is this all a charade? Hey what am I doing here? At this indoor dress-up parade Roosevelt Ballroom, we’re all herded in there now And there’s a big party going strong Whoa, look at my sleeve, my pants, how about these shoes Is this a tux that I’ve got on? And that chandelier’s winking at me, diamonds everywhere Could be the height of all extreme Cause I’m rubbing elbows with all those who have it all Getting down with the crème de la cream Different walls in here but that face once again Same old guy in the long white beard Still can’t tell, you know, if he’s smirking or laughing…still all pretty weird So what am I doing here? Is this all a charade? Hey what am I doing here? At this who’s who of who’s got it made But then I see my daughter and she’s calling out to me Hey Daddy, come on over here And you should see the look that decorates her face Pure excitement, not one trace of fear And whoa, she’s got a horse, black beauty, what a sight And she’s climbing up on it now And as she gallops through that ballroom, Hee Haw… The guest all separate and bow And up there on the wall, still staring at me Same old guy in the long white beard But he ain’t smirking, that’s a grin from ear to ear And things ain’t been too bad since he first appeared So maybe I’m doing here, what I wanna do Truth is I’m liking it here, and I’m sure digging these shoes So ya, I’m doing here, what I need to do Cause I got my own horse here, and these high-ridin shoes These deep-souled shoes, I’m loving my shoes Mmmmm, I’m loving my shoes….

Three o’clock this morning, Mr. Worry’s wide awake Gotta set the table for the day Gotta draft the what-if list and memorize the script And God forbid that you should stray So let’s worry bout the worries that you think that you have got Then we’ll worry bout the ones that might be coming, or might not And what about the old ones that still circle back a lot I just can’t do this anymore Well, Mr. Worry’s stung, he says, You know, it’s up to you And if you don’t want me, I can go Says that, I’m just trying to help you get a handle on these things Cause as we know, you’re kinda slow So good luck trying to make it through with all this on your own Cause I won’t even be available by email or cell phone And you’ll be out there flailing in the world breeze all alone So I pray you ponder this some more Well, Mr. Worry, thank you for your troubles and all that But see it’s time to say bye, bye Cause when I’m standing open to the world breeze, as you say I give this living thing a try And that’s just what I’m itching for, to sow my oats and reap Whatever might be coming down the pike, my soul to keep So pray for what you will, because I’m going back to sleep And you can surely find the door Cause Mr. Worry, you’re a bore Man…you’re a bore And you’re a cover hog, and even more Man…you snore

We went out walking down the streets of my hometown Me and my old good buddy, Tom Toting our guitars, he had mine and I had his He’d play a lick and I’d strum along How could I ask for any more than this How could I possibly want more All in a dream, got my hero by my side I’m feeling blessed and that’s for sure He says, That ball and chain, it’s all inside your head All a big ruse, it’s just not true And as for the fear you feel, the thing you’ve hated most Well that’s just the doorway leads to you How could I ask for any more than this How could I possibly want more All in a dream, got my hero by my side I’m feeling blessed and that’s for sure You’ve done your time, he tells me, peeking through these bars Barely a day that you’ve been free How in the world could you be satisfied with this You want to live, son, walk with me And yes, you can ask for plenty more than this Ain’t nothing wrong with wanting more Cause right now I’m telling you that you ain’t seen nothing yet So if you’re feeling blessed, well, that’s for sure So what can I say to that, excepting in I believe Believing that all he says is true And now that I’m feeling it so deep down in my bones Hey, I want to stand and sing with you Yes and I’m asking for plenty more than this In fact, you know, I want it all Cause when I’m standing here with you right by my side I’m feeling sixty-three feet tall Sixty-three feet tall…

At the crossroads, I faced a choice, In return for hard work, I’d become an artist, give up my soul. Then I’d never have to feel the longing and the anguish the terror and the grief. Well it seemed like a good deal at the time but in the fine print it said: It’s the child who feels these things, and only the child can sing. At the crossroads, a young boy stands wonders where I’m bound for. I’ll make my own way and leave him there. Cuz what good's a young boy when a man must tell his story, no matter how he lies. Well it seemed like a good deal at the time but in the fine print it said: It’s the child who feels these things, and only the child can sing. I was a young man at the crossroads, getting ready to make a deal. They’d give me all the gifts to be someone, and I would never have to feel. I made a sacrifice, gave my soul, never knew the cost. I gained a world of praise and in return, the child in me was lost. I stand before the boy, his hand on me, he’s crying “see what I have found, here is the mark of god upon this man” and I fall upon the ground. Down at the crossroads, stands a young boy His love I truly understand. He’s looks me in the eye I realize, this time I’m gonna go with him.

A too-strong cup of coffee, stack of Sunday Globe The world…a spinning crisis in my kitchen Me in my natty robe Chilean earthquake, seven hundred dead The wail…of all that suffering that is haunting The graveyard of my head Some guy maimed his brother, photo on Page Two Engrossed…I wallow every sordid detail A case of misplaced blues What about that earthquake, victims everywhere The Globe…it paints a dark seductive picture Invites my blank-faced stare Yet in this dream there’s a woman And she’s the part of me that knows That when I stretch into the pain that is the loss of all my unlived life I feel this deep love in me grow Then guilt and duty, they shuffle and poke And point their bony fingers at me sideways Say, you apathetic bloke Man, you’re so uncaring, you’re heartless and blind To turn your back on all those crying out now It’s like the worst unkind Yet in this dream there’s a woman And she’s the part of me that knows That when I stretch into the pain that is the loss of all my unlived life I feel this deep love in me grow And here beside her, tenderness the word And a warmth…that fills the self that lives inside me And all else seems absurd Late Sunday morning…heap of Globe unread

Charlize Theron, would you be my girl Your name’s a twister but I’d give it a whirl I know it sounds a little crazy and all I’m 5’10” shrinking, you’re probably tall But that’s no reason to be freezing out the possibility Of a little cosmic magic between you and me Charlize, I’m older, I won’t tell you no lie I’m mostly bald and got these droopy sad eyes But in this dream I had, well, we were a pair Of star-crossed lovers with nary a care And since I’ve learned to trust my dreams, well, what do you say Would you meet me out for coffee, how about later today Charlize, honey, let’s cut right to the chase This ain’t about you or your heavenly face It’s rather all about my struggle to see The things that I have done to circumvent me And all this hiding in the shadows of just who I might be If I open up my heart and what I want gets set free Charlize, I’ve dampened everything I desire A cold wet compress on the flames of my fire Afraid of losing or rejection, it seems I’ve never walked up to the girl of my dreams And said, I’d like to dance with you now, if you please Ah, that devil on my shoulder…She’s way out of your league And that shoulder demon’s right now chirping at me …Silly old dreamer, Hollywood wannabe But I’m not buying it, no, not in this heart Cause I’ve been to hell and back and earned this new start And there ain’t no one gonna tell me I’m a minor league Joe So I’m stepping up to this plate and it’s time for you to go So, Charlize Theron, would you be my girl Your name’s a twister but I’d give it a whirl I know it sounds a little crazy and all I’m 5’10” shrinking, you’re probably tall But that’s no reason to be freezing out the possibility Of a little cosmic magic between you and me

Everyday when I come home this morning Everyday when I come home this evening Everyday when I come home I bring my pride and shame along This morning, this evening, so soon. I have shame for what I’ve done this morning I have shame for what I’ve done this evening I have shame for what I’ve done But I’ll atone, I’ll be a better one, this morning I take pride in all I’ve done this morning I take pride in all I’ve done this evening I take pride in all I’ve done I’ve become the perfect one, this morning, etc I never know that shame and pride this morning I never know that shame and pride this evening I never know that shame and pride are just the ways to turn my grief aside, this morning I have my flaw like everyone, this morning I feel shame, so begins the game, this evening Achievement swells my growing pride Never know that what I’m trying to hide lies underneath my suffering, it’s the child. The eagle flies, he dips and dives across the bay The dolphins race, the minnows grace the sand bar There’s a life inside the outside, it calls to us there’s no need to hide, this morning, evening, the afternoon, dusk of twilight, it’s a happy hour; it’s our playtime, we’ve come to rest on the precipice of time.

I used to have a big, black lab, old Will was quite a dog Traveled with me everywhere I went He’d lay there in the truck front seat, his head upon my lap And stare up at me like I was heaven-sent Been dead for half a decade yet his scent, it lingers on Still got those popcorn paws, it seems And after spinning once or twice, that flop-down lazy sigh Before he’d drift off into some contented dream But he went home, ya he went home Perhaps the place where it’s all doggy treats and bones And I wish that he were here, but of two things I’m real clear That his soul’s alive and, man, he’s not alone Michael was a friend of mine, his time with us was short Hard to figure why that had to be Got a little daughter, she’s bout eight years old, like mine, By the grace of God, you know that could be me And every time I drive by his house, man, I feel so sad I think about his family and about mine But one thing I don’t worry about’s old Michael anymore Cause I know he’s with the man and doing fine Cause he went home, ya he went home And doesn’t get no junk calls on the phone And I wish that he were here, but of two things I’m real clear That his soul’s alive and man, he’s not alone Graveyards late at night, they used to scare me half to death And the Reaper, he was way much more than grim Figured he would haul my butt right to the basement fire And then laugh his ass off while he shoved me in But if there’s a last laugh here, well, it belongs to me Cause I can tell you sure as ash to dust That when it’s time for me to head on down that country road Well, I’ll be shouting Hallelujah-town or bust Cause I’ll be home, ya I’ll be home And I won’t get no junk calls on the phone But that Hallelujah’s here, so of two things I’m real clear That my soul’s alive and, man, I’m not alone And I’m feeling home, I’m right at home Cut my heart wide open, strip me to the bone Cause you see, when I’m all here, then of death I have no fear Cause my soul’s alive and man, I’m not alone

My father’s birthday is in September Turns eighty first day of the fall His health is hanging on, still got lots of kick But that number, well, you wonder about it all We walked a beach once, Carolina Must be fifteen years ago The gulls were squawking, it was windy, it was cold He was speaking truths I didn’t want to know He was harping about decisions Said he cared and that was why He felt the need to lay it all out in the sand My whole trail of woe and then he stopped to cry You were sorry, oh so sorry, for the things that I had done What I heard was, heed my words, son, get a life cause you got none So I lit out of there as fast as I could go Couldn’t take those alligator tears That’s how I’ve judged them every time that he chokes up More often now with all these passing years Seems so strange to know that that was what I thought That he could fake his love for me As if I myself could simply turn that faucet on And my apple falls directly from his tree You were sorry, oh so sorry, for the things that I had done What I heard was, heed my words, son, get a life cause you got none Then last visit we were downstairs, my old room The scene of all my jumbled youth Through his harmonica we found some common ground But it was time to play a song that spoke some truth I chose the one about my darling little girl The one I never make it through I felt the tears well up and let them all come out It seemed like there was nothing left to do I was sorry, truly sorry, for the things that I had done But still what I heard was, heed my words, son, get a life cause you got none So I was standing there and sobbing through my song But not self-conscious in the least Not feeling silly or embarrassed or all wrong Seems the demon that belittles me had ceased My vision blurred so much I couldn’t see his face But I could hear him just the same And it felt so good to hear him crying right out loud As though his tears could somehow ease my pain You said sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for you, son You said sorry, you were sorry, as if our pain were truly one Something happened that day in that basement room Some things I’ll never understand But from that moment on my life has somehow changed At 55, I’m 21, a man And I’m sorry, Dad, I’m sorry, that I’ve often judged you wrong Yes I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’ve been weak but now I’m strong My father’s birthday is in September We’ll celebrate this special year I pray you live to greet 100, dear old man I’ll toast you, Dad, through alligator tears

Looking out my window there’s a foot of snow and plenty more to come Someone turn that spigot off, weatherman is having too much fun Cause this calendar’s turned April, and all this winter should be done Well, living way up north, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised Some might say it serves me right, a recompense for all my lies But on this day that stretches truth a hair, that rabbit’s hat might be my size Is it all a lie, is it all a lie Cause if it’s all a lie then tell me…why, why I’ve been feeling, feeling like my golden egg’s been laid And if there’s truth in all this feeling Easter Bunny’s leading my parade That big old cottontail’s gonna have to hop some drifts to get to me Door to door delivery’s tough enough without this storm, wouldn’t you agree But I’ve a notion that he’s good for it, if Santa can then so can he Cause this storm has had its way, they’ve closed up all the churches and the schools Kids are all out running wild, playing snow games, no rules And this angel in the snow looks so beautiful to this old April fool Is it all a lie, is it all a lie Cause if it’s all a lie then tell me…why, why I’ve been feeling…like my golden egg’s been laid And since there’s truth in all this feeling Easter Bunny’s leading my parade Looking out my window there’s a foot of snow and plenty more to come But I’m hoping that it never stops, weatherman and me are having fun Cause this calendar’s turned April, and my new life has just begun…

When I look outside and cold November gray Has veiled the mountaintops and has for several days When that weather’s in my head and aims to stay What I have to do, what I need to do Is go inside and turn to you When I withdraw from myself into a shell When I’m thoroughly convinced this day’s from hell When I can’t discern the wishing from the well What I have to do, what I need to do Is go inside and turn to you In my lifetime such a famine of the heart As though feeling passion were just some esoteric art And I can’t believe I chose the oxen and the cart When what I have to do, what I need to do Is go inside and turn to you But like a sailor who’s been landlocked far too long Yet he’s at sea now, cast adrift inside a song And he sings his heart out with a voice that’s true and strong Cause what I have to do, what I need to do Is go inside and turn to you What I have to do, what I need to do Is go inside and turn to you

My father’s birthday is in September Turns eighty first day of the fall His health is hanging on, still got lots of kick But that number, well, you wonder about it all We walked a beach once, Carolina Must be fifteen years ago The gulls were squawking, it was windy, it was cold He was speaking truths I didn’t want to know He was harping about decisions Said he cared and that was why He felt the need to lay it all out in the sand My whole trail of woe and then he stopped to cry You were sorry, oh so sorry, for the things that I had done What I heard was, heed my words, son, get a life cause you got none So I lit out of there as fast as I could go Couldn’t take those alligator tears That’s how I’ve judged them every time that he chokes up More often now with all these passing years Seems so strange to know that that was what I thought That he could fake his love for me As if I myself could simply turn that faucet on And my apple falls directly from his tree You were sorry, oh so sorry, for the things that I had done What I heard was, heed my words, son, get a life cause you got none Then last visit we were downstairs, my old room The scene of all my jumbled youth Through his harmonica we found some common ground But it was time to play a song that spoke some truth I chose the one about my darling little girl The one I never make it through I felt the tears well up and let them all come out It seemed like there was nothing left to do I was sorry, truly sorry, for the things that I had done But still what I heard was, heed my words, son, get a life cause you got none So I was standing there and sobbing through my song But not self-conscious in the least Not feeling silly or embarrassed or all wrong Seems the demon that belittles me had ceased My vision blurred so much I couldn’t see his face But I could hear him just the same And it felt so good to hear him crying right out loud As though his tears could somehow ease my pain You said sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for you, son You said sorry, you were sorry, as if our pain were truly one Something happened that day in that basement room Some things I’ll never understand But from that moment on my life has somehow changed At 55, I’m 21, a man And I’m sorry, Dad, I’m sorry, that I’ve often judged you wrong Yes I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’ve been weak but now I’m strong My father’s birthday is in September We’ll celebrate this special year I pray you live to greet 100, dear old man I’ll toast you, Dad, through alligator tears