Walls

There's a reason we put walls up
To be safe or just to hide
To protect the heart from hurting
And keep the world outside
Its hard to trust a stranger
Its hard to risk the pain
The risk is not worth taking
When the loss exceeds the gain
So, I shore up my defenses
After letting down my guard
I am coming to my senses
Because losing is so hard
There will not be a next time
These feelings will not fade
I'll go behind these walls I've built
And live out my charade

cn 11/21/2010

Hunter Thompson's Disease

If I seem too melancholy
Won’t you forgive me, please
You see I woke up this morning
With Hunter Thompson’s sad disease
It’s a deep down sense of suffering
From all the hurt and pain
That builds up in a caring heart
That always feels the strain
From all the inhumanity
And all the endless greed
From tyrants drunk with power
And all their dirty deeds
From all the ones who hunger
And all of those who mourn
The losses of their loved ones
In lands that are war torn
Some days it is not so bad
And I really don’t know why
But today it has the best of me
So I just sit and cry

cn 492011

Terminal World

I’ve come down with something

From a word or a thought

And I can’t seem to shake it

This feeling I caught

Was it something I read

Or a song that I heard

Was it a tender I love you

Or a harsh, passing word

It’s shaken my senses

And it’s rattled my brain

I’ve tried to ignore it

I’ve battled in vain

No longer immune

My defenses are gone

The light is now fading

I won’t last too long

By the dawn’s early light

As the flags are unfurled

There are no survivors

In this terminal world

cn06192013

Cheetah (For Sophie)

Well, tomorrow’s never promised

Like the words in that old tune

But I never saw it coming

Never thought you’d leave so soon

Didn’t think that this could happen

I had so much left to say

Now I’m clinging to your memory

And the sky is turning grey

I can almost hear your laughter

I can see your special smile

And I know you’re watching over

That you walk with me each mile

I know summer is upon us

But inside I feel a chill

With an emptiness inside me

That only you can fill

Still some things live forever

And our love will never die

I’ll see your soul’s light every day

In our sweet baby’s eye

cn06152013

Priorities

Everything is nothing
And that’s not much at all
A mountain is a molehill
And that’s not very tall
Everywhere is where you are
Nowhere isn’t right
Daytime takes the moon away
Night time shows the light
Quiet breaks the silence
Sound cannot be heard
Listen to no music
Deaf to every word
Few will have the knowledge
Less will heed the call
Because everything is nothing
And that’s not much at all 

cn 3/6/10

Lament (Unknown Soldier)

Here in the land of freedom

Provided by the brave

I found the price of liberty

In an unmarked soldier’s grave

No one had brought him flowers

The world seemed unaware

A war lost in the headlines

Where no one seemed to care

He fought for God and country

But he died not knowing why

His country soon forgot him

And God just let him die

Just one more Christian soldier

Crucified without a cross

In a land grown tired and angry

Too cold to feel the loss

You see, wars are never noble

And never worth the price

They benefit the masters

Not those who sacrifice

So, put away those tools of war

And don’t give in to hate

Turn your swords to plowshares

Before it is too late

cn 06072013

For Warren Haynes

Born down here in Dixie

Bred with Delta blues

Crawled out of the cradle

With a sense of long-paid dues

He was born to be a Brother

On fire with endless fuel

And takes us down so many rows

Hitched up to The Mule

He shares his special Soul Shine

With that magic Warren smile

This special Man in Motion

Entertaining all the while

He can write songs from the heart

He can make the guitar sing

With a voice from somewhere special

That can cover anything

So, thank you Warren for your gift

We’re all so glad you share

And hope when you’re up on that stage

You feel how much we care

cn 06052013

Choices

My days are filled with endless doubt

I hardly sleep at night

A prisoner of the things I’ve done

That never turned out right

A victim of my choices

Enslaved by my mistakes

Scarred, afraid and lonely

Only a true heart breaks

I’ve been a fool for many things

While seldom thinking twice

But no one walks away unscathed

I’ve always paid a price

And now my steps are not so sure

Afraid that I may falter

A foolish sacrificial lamb

Left standing at the altar

Bravery is for the young

It fades with passing years

Forgetting all the laughter

And stung by all the tears

And still I give this heart away

I am a fool, you see

For living without love, I know

Would be the end of me

cn 08072011

The Search

I know you’re out there somewhere

 I pray we’re not alone

I looked at every altar

And every empty throne

I searched throughout the scriptures

And in churches everywhere

In the hearts of all the zealots

But I couldn’t find you there

I journeyed to Jerusalem

And just found pain and strife

I listened to the preacher

But it didn’t change my life

For four and fifty years I’ve searched

Great Spirit, just for thee

Blind to the wonder of your light

That shines inside of me

cn 7242011