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Time To Be A Man 3:510:00/3:51
Thicker Skin (2020)
Hello young man, won’t you come in and sit for a little while
I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve seen you smile
And I remember days you laughed more than you cried
Can you tell me what it was that hurt you? Who it was that lied?
And tell me why you spend all your time alone
And why you turn away from all the love that you’ve been shown
I don’t know where you think you’re going to go
You lost your confidence, and it seems you lost it long ago
Boy you need a thicker skin
Sometimes even the best of us have to take it on the chin
Boy you need a thicker skin
And maybe you’re the one you need to learn how to forgive
Cause you’ve always had it in your head you had to be the best
And now you’ve failed so many times all you feel is uselessness
You blame the world for shattering your dreams
But it’s clearly your own guilt that has you bursting at the seams
And no one has the time to hear all your regrets
Or stories about tragedies that haven’t happened yet
And it’s only in your mind you still can’t seem to win
But you’re life will pass you by while you’re waiting for it to begin
Boy you need a thicker skin
Sometimes even the best of us have to take it on the chin
Boy you need a thicker skin
And I hope you start to see you’ve still got so much to give
Cause I promise you that someday soon you’ll hear a knocking at your door
And faced with someone just like you you’ll know what all of this was for
And for every morning you wake up afraid to face the day
The gift that you receive will be someone else to show the way
Boy you need a thicker skin
Sometimes even the best of us have to take it on the chin
Boy you need a thicker skin
You gotta give yourself a chance to truly love
And truly live
Counting The Days (2020)
Sound of the flies buzzing like a drill
Blood pooling on the table with the beer he spilled
I was frozen still
Too hot outside to dig a hole in the sand
And too tired to hide the gun in my hand
There was never a plan
But when I saw him sitting there watching TV
I knew he wasn’t planning on letting me be
One of us was always gonna end up dead
But he never saw it coming when he got up and said
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
All summer long he was always around
Had a job painting houses in another town
But couldn’t hold it down
So I’d go out at night and I’d come home late
He’d have the lights turned off but he was wide awake
He was happy to wait
But I didn’t mind the hits I took
If it got my little sister off the hook
I can still hear the sound of her screams
And I can hear him shouting every night in my dreams
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
I’ll tell you right now I always knew I was gonna end up in these prison blues
And if I had a choice, I’d do it again
When I hear that voice I say Amen
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
Shotgun Blues (2020)
Three shots and then the alarm
A pistol in his hand and slug in his arm
Threw the money in the back and told me to drive
Said brother how long I been keeping you alive?
Thought I only had to watch the door
When a plain clothes cop pulled a gun on the floor
A bundle of dope and a new set of wheels
Is all I ever had the balls to try to steal
But we can still make a run for the border
By light of the Comanche moon
Cause brother I’m through doing time in Maricopa
And I’ll do anything that you ask me to do
Till they’re singing me the Shotgun Blues
Two tours of duty and you never been hit
But Annie always said you never knew when to quit
We got enough cash to last ‘em awhile
Nothing I won’t do for that girl and your child
And we can still make a run for the border
By light of the Comanche moon
Cause brother I’m through doing time in Maricopa
And I’ll do anything that you ask me to do
Till they’re singing me the Shotgun Blues
Singing me the Shotgun Blues
Stash the money and ditch the car
The way I’m bleeding I won’t get very far
Keep a couple dollars and give Annie the rest
I’m sorry that I got you into this mess
I looked him in the eye and told him I don’t mind
You’re the only one who cares if I live or die
There’s nothing else you need to say
Brother everybody knows
No one ever gets away
But we can still make a run for the border
By light of the Comanche moon
Cause brother I’m through doing time in Maricopa
And I’ll do anything that you ask me to do
Till they’re singing me the Shotgun Blues
Singing me the Shotgun Blues
Praying For Rain (2020)
How long will this last?
Oh lord how many times will I ask?
My well has run dry
And there ain’t a cloud in the sky
And my body is aching from all of the years I’ve carried this curse
And the weather ain’t breaking
Oh lord I’ve just got to quench my thirst
I’m praying for rain
Praying for the purpose in all of this pain
I’m praying for rain
And that I’m not shedding these tears in vain
I don’t know what to say
So just name your price I’ll be happy to pay
I don’t know what to do
Can you hear me lord? I’m talking to you
Cause nothing is changing
And I still feel like I’m alone
And the soil is baking
And there’s no water for all of the seeds I’ve sown
I’m praying for rain
Praying for the purpose in all of this pain
I’m praying for rain
And that I’m not shedding these tears in vain
Cause Lord you know me and you know that I’m not a humble man
But you’ve shown me life can only come from your hands
I understand
I’m praying for rain
Praying for the purpose in all of this pain
I’m praying for rain
And that I’m not shedding these tears in vain
Justice or Mercy (2020)
Surviving in the silence and dying to be heard
I know if I come clean I’ll get what I deserve
But I want you to know
I want you to know my heart
Justice or mercy, what will it be?
Lord don’t give me justice
Just have mercy on me
Mercy on me
Days are getting shorter and my time is running out
Light is disappearing in the shadow of my doubts
How far can I run?
‘Til I’m back at the start?
Justice or mercy will set me free
Lord don’t give me justice
Just have mercy on me
Mercy on me
There’s no other answer
I tried every other way
No matter what I do there’s a price I’ve gotta pay
So I’m coming to you before I fall apart
Justice or mercy, do as you please
I don’t need forgiveness
I just need some relief
Mercy on me
Been Gone So Long (2020)
Last time I was on these streets I was only 17 years old
But in the eyes of the law that was old enough to be tried as an adult
Now after all these years the folks round here still remember who I am
Sometimes I catch them watching me close or they just act like they don’t give a damn
Cause lord I’ve been gone so long
Now this place don’t feel like home
I’ve been gone so long
And all I want is to move on
Early in the morning I go looking for work, I bum rides since I lost my car
Hitch a couple miles to my PO Just to tell him no luck so far
I served my time and I paid my debt but there’s always something more I owe
Seems like all I can do is what I’ve always done and just go back to what I know
Cause lord I’ve been gone so long
Now this place don’t feel like home
I’ve been gone so long
And all I want is to move on
At night I lay awake and wonder how else to make amends
But can’t help but start to think they’re never gonna let me start again
Cause lord I’ve been gone so long
Now this place don’t feel like home
I’ve been gone so long
And all I want is to move on
Tell Lucy that i love her (2020)
Don’t try to lie or to pretend
Everybody knew that I would end up here again
And I might have even felt relieved
If only Lucy wasn’t counting on me
But don’t let her see me in this place
Don’t make me have to see that look on her face
So here’s what I need you to do
First tell her that I’m sorry she’s gotta hear this from you
Tell Lucy that I love her but I’m not what she needs
Tell her I said she’s better off without me
Tell Lucy that I love her but I’ve gotta set her free
Tell Lucy not to worry
Tell her not to worry bout me
Then give her everything I own
Tell her to find someone and try to make a home
Then tell her everything I’ve done
All the reasons why I can’t be a father to her son
Tell Lucy that I love her but I’m not what she needs
Tell her I said she’s better off without me
Tell Lucy that I love her but that’s how it’s gotta be
Tell Lucy not to tell him
Tell her not to tell him ‘bout me
Yea I know someday he’ll be grown
I don’t want him to have the kind of life that I’ve known
And I’ll be just fine here on my own
Somewhere in the silence on the end of this phone
Tell Lucy that I love her but I’m not what she needs
Tell her I said she’s better off without me
Tell Lucy that I love her but I’ve gotta set her free
Tell Lucy not to worry
Tell her to forget about me
Like A River (2020)
At night I pray to rise before the sun is up
For a moment to myself and the fading memory of my dreams
I wipe my eyes and I fill my cup
And try to pray for someone else, cause I have everything I need
Then daylight spills across the room and the work of yesterday resumes
Mistakes are made in every plan to face all that the day demands
I can only hope to grow and learn to let it go
And live like a river flows
And let love be like water flooding everywhere I go
And give with all my heart and soul
Surrendering to everything I know I can’t control
And know my life is not my own
I step into the air and I hold my breath
One foot before the next, and make my way on down the streets
And ask myself why I just can’t connect
Because I see myself in every stranger that I meet
The drifters and the orphan boys
The businessman collecting toys
The outlaws with their smoking guns
The princes and the favorite sons
It’s who I am, it’s what I’ve done
So for each and every one
I’ll live like a river flows
And let love be like water flooding everywhere I go
And give with all my heart and soul
Surrendering to everything I know I can’t control
And know my life is not my own
Oh it’s a promise I’ve made
But will I do anything to keep my word?
Or will I just be too afraid to free the voice inside me that’s dying to be heard
Singing live like a river flows
And let love be like water flooding everywhere I go
And give with all my heart and soul
Surrendering to everything I know I can’t control
And know my life is not my own
Fear & Desire (2018)
Sophie lies naked on the edge of the bed
The clip in the ashtray is smoldering red
She stares out the window but turns when she says
Fear and Desire’s all I’ve got in my head
Fear and Desire make me wish I was dead
She lights a green candle and runs her fingers through the flame
And says now that you’ve had me things will never be the same
Take what you want but it won’t take away the pain
Cause Fear and Desire’s all we’ve got besides shame
Fear and Desire’s all we’ve got left to blame
And there’s nothing left you can say
Don’t you try to tell me boy that everything is ok
Cause you know I know the truth
And now Fear and Desire’s all we’ve got left to lose
You see my Jack is old fashioned and he hates it when I’m sad
Says I’m nothing but a child when he takes me like a man
But the baby inside me wasn’t part of his plan
Cause he’ll never leave his woman, never ask for my hand
Fear and Desire’s all my Jack understands
And there’s nothing you can do
Don’t lie and say you love me, you’ll take care of us two
You knew you were my only friend
Now Fear and Desire’s brought that all to an end
She rose from her bedside
And she started to pray
She warned me I should leave
But didn’t mind if I stayed
Always kept her windows open
Said it let in the day
I was too scared to move as I watched her fall away
Fear and Desire always leaves us betrayed
St. Christopher's Inn (2018)
There’s ash in my mouth and dust on my skin
Mud on my knees and blood on my shins
And another dead end means it’s time to begin
The road back home to St. Christopher’s Inn
Now folks look at me like I’m destined to lose,
With my track marks and Jesus Christ tattoos
But I’m too tired to tell them to walk in my shoes
So I’m going where a man is never refused
Oh but I fear I’ll never feel free
And sick and tired is all I’ll ever be
And it grips me so tightly I barely can breathe
Oh merciful lord please take this from me
And now every time that I rise from the dead
St. Anthony’s cross hangs over my bed
And the prayer of St. Francis is stuck in my head,
I’ve been there before and I’m going again
Oh but I fear I’ll never feel free
And sick and tired is all I’ll ever be
And it grips me so tightly I barely can breathe
Oh merciful lord please take this from me
But the hope that sustains me comes deep from within
And God loves the sinners cause God’s in the sin
And I am who I am cause of where I have been
On the road back home to St. Christopher’s Inn
Yes I’m going back home to St. Christopher’s Inn
Just One (2016)
I think I ask too many questions
And I know I’ll never understand
How to help all those around me
When I am just one man
And there’s so many who feel helpless
That there’s just too much to be done
But I know that it makes all the difference
That revolution has begun
If I can help just one
And he can help just one
And she can help just one
If we can help just one
I’ll put my heart into my labor
And I’ll burn my back under the sun
I’ll share the harvest with my all my neighbors
I’ll work until my hands are numb
If I can help just one
And he can help just one
And she can help just one
If we can help just one
I always gave to the collection
Always hoping I’d get something back
So now I’ll offer this reflection
To all the mourners dressed in black
Lord knows it’s so hard to pray
When mercy only comes to some
But we seek forgiveness when we rise each day
Because our work is never done
If we can help just one
If we can help just one
If we can help just one
If we can help just one
Just One
Home For Good (2016)
I was killin’ some time just drinking down at Sophie’s
told my girl I’d be home in a little while
When this dude swung in with this Jameson grin
He said “Boy I bet I know your style”
He said “I aint sellin’ it cheap, cause man you know I gotta eat
but I got some blow that you really need to try”
So I checked my phone, I knew my girl was home alone
But hell it’s just a little line
And heaven knows if there’s one promise I’ve kept
Still got my mother’s Saint Christopher hanging round my neck
Lord knows I don’t know why I don’t do what I should
I swear I mean it every time I say I’m coming home
Yea I’m coming home for good
Now I’d been up all night, I dragged myself across the Bowery
With my boots barely hanging from my feet
And the sun burned bright as I stumbled across the mission
Into a man begging change in the heat
He said “You look just like my boy, and you remind me of myself,
A jean jacket rockn’roller in his prime
Now I ain’t trying to score, I’m just trying to get some help”
And I thought man, this must be some kinda sign
And heaven knows if there’s one promise I’ve kept
Still got my mother’s Saint Christopher hanging round my neck
Lord knows I don’t know why I don’t do what I should
I swear I mean it every time I say I’m coming home
Yea I’m coming home for good
So I turned my back and I stumbled round the corner
Past the folks standing in the methadone line
And then it all turned black, but you know I still remember
How I couldn’t shake the feeling I was running out of time
And heaven knows if there’s one promise I’ve kept
Still got my mother’s Saint Christopher hanging round my neck
Lord knows I don’t know why I don’t do what I should
I swear I mean it every time I say I’m coming home
Yea I’m coming home for good
The Man That You've Become (2016)
On deck aboard a pilot boat
We waited for the light
Huddled close we warmed our hands breathing fog into the night
Through ancient ways of navigation, following a star
Oh brother I can't tell you where you’re going but I know just where you are
Cause every time I close my eyes
And sink into a sleep
Or stare across the sky
I hear the sound of your heart beat
I see the man that you've become
Following a dream
Dream dream
Skate across the ocean like a figure on the ice
But waves will come a crashing down like tumbling dice
Place no faith in destinations, be they near or far
Oh brother I can't tell you where you're going but I know just who you are
Cause I've watched you as you've grown up tall
Humble in your rising
And gracious in a fall
You'll see the world, you'll see it all
As the man that you've become
In service of a call
Just listen for your call
And when the night begins to fall for days
Soon you'll ask what makes this world this way
Inside the silence if you start to pray
You will hear,
A voice will say
That patiently the water's waiting there for you and me
A thousand miles of ocean only leads into the sea
But your hands will trace the state of Grace, a map from up above
Cause brother I can tell that where you're going
You're bringing light and bringing love
So I'll follow as you light my way
With the wisdom of a child joyously at play
I'll find you as you find your own way
As the man that you've become
The man you are today
When the Sun Goes Down (2016)
A couple of days is as long as I go
Before my hands start shaking and the fever takes hold
I got the number of a guy I know
3 A.M. yea I betcha he shows
Now I don’t even try
I don’t bother to pray
When all of my control starts slipping away
I hide from the obsession in the light of the day
But it’s fading
So I’m just waiting
Oh I can’t tell you what I’m gonna do when the sun goes down
If I get high I know there’s nothing that I wont lose when I come down
I had a girl and job that paid
And they watched me destroy everything I made
Got a couple of brothers and a mom and dad
And they watched me destroy everything I had
Now I don’t even cry when they walk away
I push ‘em till they break then I beg ‘em to stay
Nothing ain’t worth the price I pay
But I’m paying
Can’t you hear me saying
Oh I can’t tell you what I’m gonna do when the sun goes down
If I get high I know there’s nothing that I won’t lose when I come down
I know it’s my fault
I must be insane
But I’ve got no choice
When the thought gets in my brain
God help me it all comes down, to when the sun goes down
There has to be a hope
And there must be a way
I’m desperate and alone and I’m desperate to change
I’m willing to listen if someone’s willing to say
I’m worth saving
Am I worth saving?
Cause I can’t tell you what I’m gonna do when the sun goes down
If I get high I know there’s nothing that I won’t lose when I come down
I know it’s my fault
I must be insane
But I’ve got no choice
Cause I can’t take this pain
God help me it all comes down to when the sun goes down
Good Friday (2016)
She said her mama died on the cross,
Wearing pearls and an albatross
With Jesus and a benzo in her brain
On Easter Sunday they laid her down,
So when I’m broke, that’s when I come around
To avail myself of all my mother’s pain
Mama let me in to take a shower
Mama let me in to clean my clothes
Mama let me in, to wash away the sin
But like Good Friday mama, I come and go
Under a scaffold, far below
High as hell, nowhere to go
I watched her sitting with a book between her hands
Choking on some fresh regrets
And electronic menthol cigarettes,
Praying that one day I’d understand
Mama let me in to take a shower
Mama let me in to clean my clothes
Mama let me in, to wash away the sin
But like Good Friday mama, I come and go
And I guess that’s why you always tell me no
Cause you can’t help,
And I can’t help myself at all
Your boy is just another junkie on the street
If this is hell and every angel has to fall
Then I’ll be crawling home for one more score
With nails right through my feet
Mama let me in to take a shower
Mama let me in to clean my clothes
Mama let me in, to wash away the sin
But like Good Friday mama, I come and go
And I know that’s why you had to tell me no
The Very First Time (2016)
I remember when I first saw you
The schoolgirl skirt and the cigarette in your hand
Singing Born To Run
You said your dad was drunk and your mom was gone
I was slinging some dope on the corners
I was only a boy trying to be a man
That was all I knew
And I’d never had someone to call my own
So we got blasted from a cannon in the middle of the dark
Like a quarter stick of dynamite in Riverside park,
And I held you tight to the beat of my heart
While you whispered that nothing would ever keep us apart
Swore I’d take care of you,
Goddamn, I swear I tried but baby I just wasn’t able to
We’re at the mercy of what sets us free,
Remember falling in love for the very first time?
Remember getting high for the very first time?
This aint the way that this was meant to be,
Remember falling in love for the very first time,
Remember getting high for the very first time
Begged half of the year on the trains,
Grand Central winter or the dope sick New York rain,
Just playing the game,
Making just enough to kill the pain
I caught a charge, wound up in a cell
Detox in prison for a brand new personal hell
Left you with just your body to sell
From the darkness of some cheap hotel
I said this aint no way for anybody to live,
But can you ever forget?
Can you ever forgive me baby?
When I get back we’ll both stay clean,
Get on public assistance, now that I’m 18
We swore we wouldn’t use,
But goddamn, we’ve done everything we swore we would never do
We’re at the mercy of what sets us free,
Remember falling in love for the very first time?
Remember getting high for the very first time?
This aint the way that this was meant to be,
Remember falling in love for the very first time,
Remember getting high for the very first time
When I got out I knew where to find you,
You said to meet in park where we first made love
I ran the whole way
Sure enough, that’s where I found you,
With blue lips and a face as white as a dove
The needle on the ground where you lay
And I held you as I tried to pray,
But there was nothing,
just nothing that I could say
We’re at the mercy of what sets us free,
Remember falling in love for the very first time?
Remember getting high for the very first time?
This aint the way that this was meant to be,
Remember falling in love for the very first time,
Remember getting high for the very first time
Without A Sound (A Song for Susan) (2016)
He asked her for a dance,
If she believed in fate or chance
And if she’d come to town for school
She wasn’t like all the college girls who thought they were way too cool
She liked the way he laughed
The way he held the door on her behalf
And he liked the way she’d sing,
When she thought no one was around to hear a thing
They ripped through the bars and through the clubs,
Was it whiskey, was it love?
There was no slowing them down
And the ring was on her hand, when the life that she had planned
Came crumbling down,
Without a sound
She told me that he’d left,
With some sick sweetness on his breath
Ashamed to say that she was glad to watch him go
Cause the drink had started making him mean
He’d been driving west
Into the fire, into the sunset
Across the highways busting seams,
Burning Old Crow and gasoline
She fought hard not to think of how much he’d had to drink
And how she always said something wrong
But when the phone began to ring, she knew the news that it would bring
Would rip her heart, right from their home
She said
All I know is there’s no way that I can let him go
No way that I can lay him down
And turn around
I can’t pray
Wont ask God to take this pain away
So I’ll take all of the love I’ve found
And put it in the ground
Without a sound
She’d been drinking by herself
She pulled his pictures off her shelves
So he wasn’t there to see that things weren’t quite what they used to be
She’d been writing down her dreams
Read like holy scripture and movie scenes
But she was tired of asking why and tired of asking what all this means
But what she saw inside herself
Was it was either die or ask for help
Cause there was no chance on her own
So she got up from her bed, got a number from a friend
And when she called, someone there said
All I know,
Is where you are and where you should go
A place for you to lay this down
Turn things round
And take my word
Our prayers are answered when our prayers are heard
When you truly seek, the way is found
It comes to you right here and now
Without a sound
Young Man's Prison (2016)
Well I was seventeen when I spent my first night in a cell
Get that liquor in me
I'll be raising all kinds of hell
It scared me half to death,
how I just can't control myself
I'm begging for somebody's help but they say I can't be believed
How'd I end up here,
Here again?
Here with the lost boys in a young man's prison
How'd I end up here?
Back in the pen
Where the wind blows through the brick rows in the heat
living my life on my knees
Well I've been burning out, every time I try
Drying myself out on Riker's Island in July
Oh warden can't you see
The victim here is really me
The men that visit us say that I've got a disease
How'd I end up here,
Here again?
Here with the lost boys in a young man's prison
How'd I end up here?
Back in the pen
Where the wind blows through the brick rows in the heat
living my life on my knees,
I see the ocean at night in my dreams
I feel the freedom of salt on the breeze
Waking up to the clanging of keys
How'd I end up here,
Here again?
Here with the lost boys in a young man's prison
How'd I end up here?
Back in the pen
Where the wind blows through the brick rows in the heat
living my life on my knees
Ashes in the Snow (2016)
Singing in a whisper in your bed
Dizzy from the cocaine wish I hadn’t had
I pray those memories don’t blend
Just dreaming bout my time with you again
The heat of your lips against my skin,
The only part of my past I wished would never end
But I can’t live with my desire,
And I can’t let it all come rushing back again
Well I don’t mind crying
If I’ve got to let you go
Falling from the flame, like ashes in the snow
Heels down, grind me into grey
But I still lose my breath, every time I hear your name
I stare at your pictures on my phone
Each one of your features looks like home
Each smile across your face
Every look you ever thought had gone to waste
Aint nothing beginning, nothing ends
Aint never gonna have control, my friend
But it chills me to my core,
That you don’t seem to love me anymore
Well I don’t mind crying
If I’ve got to let you go
Falling from the flame, like ashes in the snow
Heels down, grind me into grey
But I still lose my breath, every time I hear your name
Reckless Son (2016)
I’ve been trying to talk with my old man
Says he knows me better then I’ll ever understand
But still he can’t explain the things I’ve done
Or what it’s like to be the father of a Reckless Son
And for all the years I made sure I was numb
All the liquored up conversations where I played deaf and dumb
For all the screaming angels in my heart and in my head
Not a word was spoken until my father said
I can’t hide you from your own hands
Or lift you from your knees
But I’m preparing myself to have to dig your grave
We’ll both be humbled by the will of God
And the wrath of your disease
But how could any man have to be so brave
To know that nothing can be done
For the father of a Reckless Son
Alone inside a family where we pass around the blame
You can keep your interventions, all you gave me was my name
Waiting for the moment where I can meet you with my fists
But punishing myself was the only thorn that I could twist
Cause you can’t hide me from my own hands
Or lift me from my knees
But you’re preparing yourself to have to walk away
We’ll both be humbled by the will of God,
And the power of our needs
And all that’s left for you to do is pray
For all the battles that you’ve won
You’re the father of a reckless son
And I know you’ve had to see me walk into the rain
And you knew you couldn’t pull me back
But your love was never shown to me in vain
You put your arms around me and the walls begin to crack
But I know I’m the only one
Who can do what must be done
So with every breath in my lungs
Hear the promise of a Reckless Son
We Come to Each Other (2016)
Rain starts falling on yesterday’s news
Can’t keep a dry eye since I saw the clues
Some stranger looking like my best friend
Is trying to hide he’s back at it again
Here’s what you do
You go and you use
But you’ve got all my love
You’ve got so much to lose
So we come,
We come for our lives,
We come to each other, it’s how we survive
Yea wee come
And I need you to see,
I need you as much as you need me
I know that your armor is starting to thin
You feel broken and useless and can’t seem to win
But hiding in silence is where it begins,
No armor can stop what attacks from within
Here’s what I say
You pause and you pray,
You learn that we’re taking this all day by day
Yea we come,
We come for our lives,
We come to each other, it’s how we survive
We come
And I need you to see,
I need you as much as you need me
Oh, we’re both in the dark, but you got something to say
You know you better start getting honest my friend, that’s what I said
Oh, we’re brothers in arms, but you have fallen behind
Oh but brother I ain’t gonna leave
So just bring it to me
Yea we come,
We come for our lives,
We come to each other, it’s how we survive
Yea we come
And I need you to see,
I need you as much as you need me
Can't Keep Looking Back (2016)
I sit and think of you
When I don’t know what to do
And I ask you for a sign or for a song
Are you listening to me when I’m praying on my knees?
Cause I’m not weak but I’m not feeling very strong
So I hold on tight to my peace of mind
And tell myself my life has just begun
But when I close my eyes, and I’m too tired to cry
I still wonder why I’m here and why you’re gone
Can you tell me what went wrong?
Cause I don’t believe that you’d just let go
That you’d just stop fighting back
Thought you were coming along
Least that’s how it seemed but I guess I’ll never know
And now you aint coming back
But I can’t keep looking back
It aint for me to understand
The big picture or the plan
That puts an end to life that’s still so young
And I know I was a friend,
And I offered you a hand
But tell me was there something more I should have done?
I should have known that something was wrong
I didn’t wanna believe that you’d just let go
That you could just stop fighting back
You know you weren’t alone
And I wish you could see just how much you were loved
And how much we want you back
But I can’t keep looking back
So I’ll just let go
Of all the tears I’m fighting back
Because the road is long and I’ve gotta believe that I’ve still got miles to go
And there’s no turning back
And I can’t keep looking back
Ride Again (2015)
I was praying, almost every night
To a little St. Francis that I won in a fight
Still running,
On and off of the streets,
But keeping it clean since I got back east
And that’s where we met, on the lower east side,
And you told me all about the horses you used to ride
I already knew you had taken a fall,
In the dust of the summer, when the nighttime calls
You landed here with us all
With your shattered heart you’re coming of age,
You’re not falling down, no you’re turning the page
You’re gonna ride again
Ride again
Ride again
Racing,
With the wind in your hair,
A feeling just like that, nothing could ever compare
We’re chasing things we think that we need,
When we never even bothered with all the things we could be
Kissing the scars across my chest,
Kissing the tears running down your neck
Don’t cover it up or wipe it away
We take a little pride in taking the pain
Cause there’s so much that remains
With your shattered heart you’re coming of age,
You’re not falling down, no you’re turning the page
With your trembling hands you’re taking the reins
With the strength to stand and surrender the shame
You’re gonna ride again
Ride again
Ride again