Troubadour (For Jason Isbell)

He's a cynic and a dreamer

Keeping one foot on the ground

He's a prophet with a purpose

He's profane and he's profound

He's a madman on a mission

Clinging to his sanity

He's a blind man with true vision

Laid bare for all to see

He's a poet with a guitar

Bound to follow his free will

With a fire that burns inside him

That life can never kill

So, once again he sings his songs

Playing much more than his part

A diary of the life he chose

With words straight from the heart

A pilgrim in the spotlight

Whose story must be told

Always hoping for that high road

In a world that's grown so cold

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Vengeance

I know you took what wasn't yours

I'm sure you felt so strong

By making her surrender

To one so sick and wrong

You sure taught her a lesson

Made you feel like quite the man

I wish I could have been there

To rearrange the plan

I'd like to make you cower

And beg me not to do

The kind of things you planned for her

Your nightmares all come true

You could offer your apologies

Without putting up a fight

And look into my glaring eyes

As I turn out the lights

But know that I know everything

I even know your name

Always look behind you

Your life won't be the same

For some men yearn for justice

For the weasels that abound

And this man longs to hunt you down

And put you in the ground

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My American Dream

Riding south on 17

While Jason Isbell sings

America is still my home

Though freedom rarely rings

Lost inside a memory

An old and faded dream

Hard to find here in this place

Where nothing's as it seems

This land once ruled by heart and soul

Has given way to greed

With children going hungry

And so many left in need

What happened to that melting pot

That beacon in the night

What happened to the land of dreams

And that enduring light

Her people give me hope for more

Her leaders make me fear

That all that we were built on

Could just simply disappear 

But I see the good in people

No matter where I roam

Good souls that keep the dream alive

That make this country home

So, I will not give into 

All this darkness that I see

And I will always share the light

That shines inside of me

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Beyond Dreams

I thought I'd seen it all before

Seen dreams just disappear

Until I stopped believing

In the hopes I once held dear

But no one ever got inside

The walls around this heart

So afraid of losing

What was hidden from the start

Running from the emptiness

And ending up alone

Wondering if this fragile heart

Would one day turn to stone

Then when I least expected

You just walked through my defenses

Found a place inside this heart

And brought me to my senses

More than just a dream come true

Where all my fantasies

Fail to measure up to

This new life you've given me

So, take my heart and all my love

And put your hand in mine

And know my love is only yours

Until the end of time

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Only You

Only you can make me feel

The way you do

No one ever made this dreamer’s

Dreams come true

No one else can move me

With the slightest touch

Never dreamed that someone

Could love me so much

I spent so much time

Hiding these thoughts from you

Afraid to think of how much

You already knew

But you didn’t realize

You owned my heart

The way my walls came tumbling down

Right from the start

Only you could make

This tired heart feel new

So, I will give the love I have

To only you

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Living for Forever

I spent far too many yesterdays

Trying to hide the pain

From all the disappointments

And feeling all the strain

Living for a dimming dream

That once shone in my soul

An Angel born in fantasy

To make my spirit whole

A pilgrim always searching

And stumbling on the road

Carrying the weight alone

And breaking from the load

Until you finally came to me

A heart so kind and pure

And eased the pain and loneliness

That I'd had to endure

I had always feared tomorrow

So I never shared this heart

Now I'm living for forever

And eager for the start

Of a life in love together

One free of pain and fear

Sharing all the love I've found

With one I hold so dear

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Tomorrow

Well, I used to dread tomorrow

So buried in today

Afraid to make mistakes again

That I made yesterday

Believing that my future

Would be just like my past

Where dreams were just illusions

That never seemed to last

Until the sweetest Angel

From the past appeared to me

She showed me what was in her heart

And all that love could be

So, yesterday was just the path

That led me to this place

And tomorrow is another chance

To see her smiling face

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