Friday, June 09, 2006
a long time ago, i said
yeah. yeah, i will follow.
and many times i looked
at the path ahead
and i said,
'hey, who carved this path?'
and the ranger in the forest said
'why you did, son'
this same old path
i've travelled down
so many times before.
and before i said
'i will play'
and sat at the table
where the cards were dealt
and looked at my hand
and looked at the dealer
in the mirror
and i said 'who dealt this hand?'
and the dealer in the mirror
said 'why you did, son'
and i folded and i said
'i can't play this game no more!'
and when i said
'i'll be like you'
and then i suffered
and talked out of my head
and as i traipsed through
all the grave yards,
i said 'hey, who carved these stones?'
and the caretaker said
'with your hands they were built'
and so i brought the ghosts
home with me
and haunted my house with
those who'd gone on
before me.
and the gardener offered me
his grapes.
grapes from the vine, he said.
and they looked so good
i said, yeah, i'll take and eat
and those grapes were so sweet
but boy, did they leave a bitter aftertaste!
and with puckered lips i sputtered
'who grew those grapes!'
and the gardener said,
why look at your green thumbs, my boy,
it's written in the stars
who grew those grapes!
and then i went home,
and they looked at me and said
'hey, you're not from around here,
are you?'
a stranger in my own house!
and i said, 'hey, i built this house!
and i'll sleep in this bed!'
and the porter came
and threw me out of my own house!
so as i spent the rest the day
panhandling for a flop house
three squares and a cot
under bad lighting, i tell you.
and then on the way back,
i gave a bum five bucks
through the rolled down window
and he said
'i'm beholden to you, brother!
now watch that traffic
out there so you don't
get run over!'
and on the way down
my street it hit me,
that's what's wrong
with the world!
not enough bums
and not enough fivers
to give away!
and this time when
i arrived,
my beautiful wife
greeted me with a kiss
and my beautiful son
said 'where have you been?'
and i said,
'out there in the world, son...
out there in the world.'
yeah. yeah, i will follow.
and many times i looked
at the path ahead
and i said,
'hey, who carved this path?'
and the ranger in the forest said
'why you did, son'
this same old path
i've travelled down
so many times before.
and before i said
'i will play'
and sat at the table
where the cards were dealt
and looked at my hand
and looked at the dealer
in the mirror
and i said 'who dealt this hand?'
and the dealer in the mirror
said 'why you did, son'
and i folded and i said
'i can't play this game no more!'
and when i said
'i'll be like you'
and then i suffered
and talked out of my head
and as i traipsed through
all the grave yards,
i said 'hey, who carved these stones?'
and the caretaker said
'with your hands they were built'
and so i brought the ghosts
home with me
and haunted my house with
those who'd gone on
before me.
and the gardener offered me
his grapes.
grapes from the vine, he said.
and they looked so good
i said, yeah, i'll take and eat
and those grapes were so sweet
but boy, did they leave a bitter aftertaste!
and with puckered lips i sputtered
'who grew those grapes!'
and the gardener said,
why look at your green thumbs, my boy,
it's written in the stars
who grew those grapes!
and then i went home,
and they looked at me and said
'hey, you're not from around here,
are you?'
a stranger in my own house!
and i said, 'hey, i built this house!
and i'll sleep in this bed!'
and the porter came
and threw me out of my own house!
so as i spent the rest the day
panhandling for a flop house
three squares and a cot
under bad lighting, i tell you.
and then on the way back,
i gave a bum five bucks
through the rolled down window
and he said
'i'm beholden to you, brother!
now watch that traffic
out there so you don't
get run over!'
and on the way down
my street it hit me,
that's what's wrong
with the world!
not enough bums
and not enough fivers
to give away!
and this time when
i arrived,
my beautiful wife
greeted me with a kiss
and my beautiful son
said 'where have you been?'
and i said,
'out there in the world, son...
out there in the world.'
