John Richard Paul

Midwestern Modesty

Lyrics

WRITE ABOUT YOU

I’m gonna make a record
And I’ll have to write a song that is about you
Folks are gonna hear it
And then they’re gonna find out all about you

They’re all gonna find out what it’s been like to live without you
When I make that record and have to write a song that is about you

I’m gonna make a record
And then there’ll be a song that’s all about you
Another chance for me to vent
To have my say and then for folks to doubt you

They’re all gonna hear about me living with a broken heart without you
When I make that record and have to write a song that is about you

I’m gonna make a record
So that I can write a song that is about you
It’s easier than reaching out
And saying to you what I really want to

If I only write about it, then there is no need to talk about it
But when I make that record, hell, I guess I’ll have to write a song about you

I’m gonna make a record
So that maybe I can finally write about you
Put words in their proper place
And hopefully, one day erase what’s left of you

It’s clear that you’ve moved on and I’ve yet to write a song that is about you
But when I make that record, then maybe I can finally write about you

DESPITE THE SIGNS

Wish that I had known half of what I do now
Makes me wonder if I could’ve helped you out somehow
Maybe something I had missed, hiding in plain sight
A conversational lifeline, simply too far adrift for me to see

Or maybe this was the ending you’d had written out all along
We just somehow failed to read between the lines
And see it for what it was, despite the signs

It’s easy to second guess, maybe somehow change the outcome
The way this all played out
Searching for clues within the ashes
Of the fiery mess you left behind

But who am I to judge between what’s right and what is wrong?
It’s just the outcome’s more permanent than anything I could hope to say in a song

IN RETURN

Sadie says she’s packing it in for good this time
Says she’s simply had enough
Put too much of herself out into the world
And got nothing in return

Said there were just a few too many late nights
Playing the same old songs
Said it was starting to feel like diminishing returns
Well, it was taking its toll on her

She says, “It’s harder, you know, these days
To find your voice and be sure it’s the real you
Somewhere along the way, I lost the thread
That I was counting on to help me see this through”

Sadie says they took the best years of her life
As if she herself were through
Said she’s feeling used up and abused
From baring her soul to empty rooms

Said there was once a time not too long ago
When there was nothing else she’d rather do
But the way that things have changed versus the way she thought they’d go
Well, it just seems like her time was through

And now the years have worn away
Any magic left inside
She says I, I can’t bring myself to admitting to it now
But I know it’s me who let it die
It was me who let it die

Well, I wasn’t sure what to say to her this time
Lord knows I’ve felt much the same
But I’ve already put so much of myself
Out into the world

I guess I never really gave that much thought
To what I might get in return
Just dove in and I held my breath
The work alone became my only concern

And yeah it’s harder these days
To find your voice and be sure it’s the real you
But I’ve held on for dear life to that thread
Hoping it might still see me through

Sadie says she’s packing it in for good this time
Says she’s simply had enough
Put too much of herself out into the world
And got nothing in return

HEART SLEEVE BLUES

Well, my heart’s on the sleeve of my other coat, the one with the hole in the pocket
What it’s doing there, I can’t begin to care, coz it’s done me no good up til now
So I’m afraid it’s gonna stay in the back of my closet until you’re as good as gone
Until you’re as good as gone

You see, it’s been vulnerable for way too long now, sitting right there on my sleeve
After all of these years, it’s looking tattered and worn, and more than a bit like me
Out in the world, for all to see, what little good it’s done
Oh, what little good it’s done

Since you came along, singing my songs, and using your charm on me
That ol’ heart on my sleeve’s been playing hide and seek, nearly from dusk until dawn
It’s just the moon and me keeping company until that ol’ sun comes along
Until that ol’ sun comes along

I suppose the time has come to finally ditch that old heart upon my sleeve
Keep it deep in my chest, way down where no one can see, hiding instead of doing me wrong
So it would seem in the grand scheme of things a heart’s the last thing I need
That old heart’s the last thing I need
No, that ol’ heart’s the last thing I need
That ol’ heart’s the last thing I need

DYING ON THE VINE

In my dreams, I can play piano deftly and with ease
My fingers tracing melodies nimbly across the keys
But when I wake I always come to find that it’s only in my mind
My fingers struggle to find the notes and those melodies elude me

It’s in these same strange dreams sometimes you’re still here with me
Nothing that would come to pass has yet come to be
But when I wake I always find that it’s only in my mind
You’re no longer here with me, you’re just a memory trapped in time

So it goes
And so you went
After all our love was spent
And so I’m left here
Chasing dreams
Shadows of a life that will never be

In my dreams, I’m still a child, my whole life ahead of me
Endless opportunities are all I can see
But when I wake I always come to find that it’s only in my mind
Too many years have slipped away and I’m just dying on the vine

It’s in these same strange dreams that you’re still in love with me
We’ve lost ourselves within each other and have all that we need
But when I wake I always find that it’s only in my mind
Your love was just a memory my heart yearns to rewind

So it goes
And so you went
After all our love was spent
And so I’m left here
Chasing dreams
Shadows of a life that will never be

EXISTENTIALIST BLUES

She don’t like the sad songs I play
Though she’ll listen to them day after day
She recommends that I write a happier song or two
Coz all of them sad songs they just make her feel blue

She says it’s time to look on the sunnier side of life
Put away all that toil and strife
Sing a song that’s pleasing to the ear
With words and a melody full of cheer

Coz she don’t like the sad songs I play
Says they have a way of ruining her day
So why not write about something kinda nice for a change,
With a little more sugar and a whole lot less spice?

I said, “Maybe you didn’t hear:
They say sad songs and waltzes are really selling this year
Ain’t no room for that old sunnier side of things
Just doom and gloom and that old existentialist blues”

So I’m gonna keep on playing my sad old songs
Until the day something better comes along
Use the same few chords and borrowed licks
‘Til this sad old dog learns a few happier tricks

But she don’t like the sad songs I play
Though she’ll listen to ‘em day after day
She recommends that I write a happier song or two
Coz all of them sad songs just make her feel blue
Yeah, all of them sad songs just make her feel blue
All of those sad songs just make her feel blue

MIDWESTERN MODESTY

Hell, we’ve come this far, what’s one more mile in the grand scheme of things?
No sense in trying to start over, might as well just work with what we’ve got
Make the best of things and hope that all the rest will one day follow suit and fall in line

So let’s strip this down, right to the bones
The foundation is sound, of that we can be sure
Strong backs and hands, midwestern modesty, an unwillingness just to pack it in
Where others might’ve had more sense, we just kept our noses to the grind

And continued to put in our time
Spending our better years
Counting down each passing mile
Knowing full well
The road ahead is quickly running out

Lord knows we’ve put in our time
Spending our better years
Hoping something more might come
Yet knowing full well
This might be as far as we go
This might be as far as we go

UNTITLED NEW SONG

I don’t see much point in talking
The way that some folks do
Carrying on about this and that
And so and so and you know who
I’d rather sit in silence
Just escape into the void
But I'll listen ‘til you’re blue in the face
And all your words run dry

I’ve never been much for talking
Just ask anyone I know
The most they’ve ever heard me talk
Is when they come to a show
So don’t expect things to change
Just because you’re here
You can talk all you want
I’ll just sit here and drink my beer

And you can go on and on about anything you please
Talk about your kids, your spouse, your job, or the latest disease
I’ll smile and nod to show that I’m following along
But I won’t have all that much to say other than what’s in this song

Never been much for talking
In fact, I kinda find it a bore
I tend to prefer the silence
Afforded by the great outdoors
But know that I can listen better
Than just about anyone else
So go ahead and give it a whirl
And keep talking about yourself

You can expound upon
Anything you’d like
Just don’t expect me
To say all that much in return
After all, we both know
It’s your voice you’d rather hear
So I’ll just sit back and listen as
Your words fill up my ears

Take me anywhere you wanna go
I’ll be right by your side
Through thick and thin
There and back again

Maybe we’ll go away way out west
Somewhere the sky opens up
And becomes all that we can see

Either way, it’s all the same to me
So long as we’re in each other’s company

Clouds turn into mountains as the earth reaches ever higher
The road unspools ahead before our very eyes
An endless ribbon we can follow deep into the night

Barreling on ahead towards some point on a faded map
An imagined destination, no place we’ve been before
The stereo’s low, playing all our favorite songs

We’re on our way, baby, just you and me
And there’s no place else on earth that I’d rather be

Than right here beside you with the windows down and the air blowing sweet and clean
The landscape changing shape, taking forms unlike any we’ve ever seen
Oh darling we’re finally on our way to the places of which we have only dreamed

So take me anywhere you wanna go
I’ll be right by your side
Through thick and thin
There and back again

(NOTES ON) AN IMAGINARY ENDING

Sometimes when I’m lying awake late at night I think about you
And wonder what might’ve been if we were both different people
Instead of who we are and who we longed to be

But there’s nothing else we could have done with the hands we’d been dealt
Coz not every story that unfolds has a happy outcome
Sometimes these things, they just end

Carols By The Fire b/w The Absence Of Sound

LYRICS

CAROLS BY THE FIRE

Well I wonder what you're doing this Christmas
If there'll be presents and lights and fresh-cut tree
Family get-togethers and stories of how life used to be
Way back when in ol' Santa we all still believed

When Christmas was our favorite time of the year
Not a season wracked with guilt and financial fears
When magic was still real and hope could somehow carry us through
Those long, cold December nights where we'd sit and spin a few

Of our favorite Christmas carols by the fire
Watching Charlie Brown and that mean old Grinch to lift our spirits higher
Bring out old traditions to help us to reconnect
With the feelings we felt as kids and to instill them in our own
Raise a glass to those who've passed so that their memories live on
And hope that in the years to come our kids will all do the same

It must be hard being away from home
Especially at this festive time of the year
When other folks will be traveling back to the places they come from
Reuniting with the ones they love and spreading Christmas cheer

Just know that you can find that feeling, too
You carry it with you everywhere you go
Simply look into your heart to find the memories kept there
They'll take you back to those long, cold nights where we'd sit and spin of a few

THE ABSENCE OF SOUND

Snow keeps on falling
Down and down
Carrying with it
The absence of sound

We are lost for a moment in the air
Our feet can't find the ground

Skies turn from blue to gray
Summer's long since gone
The trees have all surrendered
Their leaves to the fall

Bare branches reach out towards a sun
Tucked behind the clouds

Winter is here again
A reminder that everything will end
Seasons come and go
They mark the passage of time
Another year gone by

Smoke fills the winter air
Fires for warmth
Huddled deep within our homes
To keep the cold at bay

And await the changing of the seasons
Spring's silent return

Snow crunches beneath our feet
Each breath can be seen
Everything is silent
It's like walking through a dream

The air reaches deep into our lungs
Makes us feel alive

Winter is here again
A reminder that everything will end
Seasons come and go
They mark the passage of time
Another year gone by

A Sunday In April

Lyrics

HEART SLEEVE BLUES

You see, it’s been vulnerable for way too long now, sitting right there on my sleeve
And after all of these years, it’s looking tattered and worn, and more than a bit like me
Out in the world, for all to see, what little good it’s done
Oh, what little good it’s done

You see, my heart and me, we tend to disagree on what is best for us
He tends to rush in blind, thinking everything’s fine, without one little thought for me
Yeah, he’s a no-good fool playing by his own rules, making them up as he goes along
Making them up as he goes along

I suppose the time has come to finally ditch that old heart upon my sleeve
Keep it deep in my chest, way down where no one can see, hiding instead of doing me wrong
So it would seem in the grand scheme of things a heart’s the last thing I need
That old heart’s the last thing I need
No, that ol’ heart’s the last thing I need
That ol’ heart’s the last thing I need

ACROSS THE LAKE

The house we shared no longer stands
And memories are all we have
I sure hope they are enough
And don’t get lost in all the petty stuff

Coz I can still see your face
In the memories I have here
Hidden now amongst the trees
They’re blowing slowly
Out across the lake and far away from here

The feeling of loss is palpable
Things we never noticed before
An eerie quiet settles through the house
Summer will never be the same

But I can still see your face
In the memories I have here
Hidden now amongst the trees
They’re blowing slowly
Out across the lake and far away from here

Yes, I can still see your face
In the memories I have here
Hidden now amongst the trees
They’re blowing slowly
Out across the lake and far away from here
Out across the lake and far away from here

(NOTES ON) AN IMAGINARY ENDING

Sometimes when I’m lying awake late at night I think about you
And wonder what might’ve been if we were both different people
Instead of who we are and who we longed to be

But there’s nothing else we could have done with the hands we’d been dealt
Coz not every story that unfolds has a happy outcome
Sometimes these things, they just end

FRANKLIN DEVEREAUX'S LAST STAND

In the summers when I was younger
We’d all sit around the fire
As my dad would tell us stories
Of the way things used to be
He would tell us of the people
Who’d once called this land their home
And those who’d later look
To do the same
But there was one in particular
That always had me rapt
It was the story of
Franklin Devereaux’s last stand

Back in the 1880s
In the middle of the northern woods
The civil war veteran and widower
Claimed his little piece of land
He had built himself a home there
Far from society
All he wanted was a simple life
And the berries there that grew so sweet
He would pick them when in season
And then row on into town
From the southern edge of Mullett Lake
Franklin Devereaux made his way back to the world

While in town he’d sell his wares
To the people who'd settled for
The trappings of the modern world
And left the wild woods behind
They never saw the timber as a home
Just a means to build a bigger one
They’d all lost touch
With what Mr. Devereaux held so dear
Sleep would never seem to come to him
Amidst the din of the Gilded Age
He’d spend his nights pining for his home back in the pines

Then one day in ’84
Someone must have remarked
That it had been awhile since anyone had heard
From the hermit of the northern woods
So they set out to look for him
Made their way across the lake
To the little homestead
south of Duncan City
What they found stopped them dead in their tracks
Sent a chill up and down their spines
For there amongst the blackberries lay what was left of Franklin Devereaux

Now it wasn’t just his death
That had them so afraid
But the fact that he wasn’t all alone
There beside his body
And lying just as dead
In the middle of the berry patch was a big old bear
Folks surmised that they'd both been surprised
To come upon each other that day
Picking berries alone out in the woods
They had set upon one another
Simply out of self-defense
No one knows how long they fought or who had the upper hand
All they could tell was Devereaux
Had fought back like hell
And in doing so they both had died in the place that they’d called home

Now there’s a little lake that bears his name
And the story still gets told
Of the day that Franklin Devereaux made his last stand
Some hundred odd years later
I was told of his fate
On the shore of that same lake he once travelled upon
His was a legendary life and death
One that surely will live on
In campfire tales passed on late at night from fathers to their sons

The Road Of Life

Lyrics

ACROSS THE LAKE

The house we shared no longer stands
And memories are all we have
I sure hope they are enough
And don’t get lost in all the petty stuff

Coz I can still see your face
In the memories I have here
Hidden now amongst the trees
They’re blowing slowly
Out across the lake and far away from here

The feeling of loss is palpable
Things we never noticed before
An eerie quiet settles through the house
Summer will never be the same

But I can still see your face
In the memories I have here
Hidden now amongst the trees
They’re blowing slowly
Out across the lake and far away from here

Yes, I can still see your face
In the memories I have here
Hidden now amongst the trees
They’re blowing slowly
Out across the lake and far away from here
Out across the lake and far away from here

PLUS TWO

I don’t know much for sure
But I know that you’re the one for me
Coz even after all these years
You still choose to stand by me

And I know it’s not always the easiest thing to do
Never knowing quite what you’ll be coming home to

Coz I can be a bit much
And I know that it’s hard on you
We’ve had our ups and our downs
But no more or less than anyone else that we know

And now I’ve spent nearly half of my life loving you
Building a life together, now plus two

I’ve never known much for sure
But I know that you’re the one for me
Even after all these years
I still love waking up next to you

And I’ll spend the rest of my days loving you
And the life we share together, now plus two

SWIMMING AFTER DARK

Wake up kids, it’s time to go
Your grandma and I are taking you out for the day
Well okay
We’re heading north, across the bridge
To Castle Rock and the Mystery Spot
Coz it’s such a beautiful day

And if you all behave
We can get pasties in the park
And when we get home after Alice’s
We can all go swimming after dark

We’re not supposed to spoil you like this
But we wouldn’t be grandparents if we didn’t
So come on kids, let’s go
We’ll head to the docks to catch
The 10 o’clock ferry across the straits
And spend the day on Mackinac Island

And if you all behave
We can get pasties in the park
And when we get home after Alice’s
We can all go swimming after dark

THE WORRIERS HALL OF FAME

I gotta learn to stop worrying
About the things outside of my control
But I come from a long line of worriers
It’s fair to say worrying’s written on my soul
So if there’s something out there to worry about,
Chances are I’ve already done my time
Worrying about what might happen
The worries all tumbling through my mind

Yeah, my grandpa and my dad, they’re both worriers
I suppose that makes me a worrier, too
It’s not the kind of thing that skips a generation or two
And now I’m worried my boys will be worriers, too

I’m not sure what I’d do if I stopped worrying
Well, I suppose that’s another thing to worry about
But just like this old world keeps on spinning
Worrying’s what keeps me moving on
Coz I come from a long line of worriers
My grandpa’s in the Worriers Hall ofFame
So I’ve gotta work at my worrying
Or else I’m worried I might ruin the family name

Coz my grandpa and my dad, they’re both worriers
It’s safe to say I’m a worrier, too
It’s not the kind of thing that skips a generation or two
And now I’m worried my boys will be worriers, too

Now I’m worried that my worries might have you worrying
That maybe you think this worrying’s causing me pain
But it’s a long-standing joke in my family
All them Paul boys worry more as they age
And so my dad’s catching up with my grandpa
Though the latter set the bar impossibly high
Worrying had him call the state police a few times
Worried that one of us had died

Yeah, my grandpa and my dad, they’re both worriers
It’s plain to see I did not stand a chance
It’s not the kind of thing that skips a generation or two
And now I’m worried my boys will be worriers, too
Oh, I’m worried my boys will be worriers, too.
Yeah, I’m worried my boys will be worriers, too.

SILVER LININGS

A simple twist of fate has brought us here
And I know it’s hard for you
To reconcile with what just went down
This will take some time for you

But you know, it’s just a passing phase
You’ll probably feel much better in a year
And you know, it’s never quite as bad as it seems
You’ve always been one for silver linings
And you know, this too will end

Try not to think too hard
There’s nothing that you could’ve done
To prolong all of the suffering
And the pain of just wanting to die

Coz you know, there’s only so much you can take
Before you just wanna give up
And you know that no one is to blame
For all of the shit they put you through
And you know, this too will end

And now I wonder if you’re wondering about me
Hoping that I’m doing well
Coz you know, I often think about you
Though I’ve no one left to tell

And I know, it’s just a passing phase
I’m sure I’ll feel much better in a year
And I know, it’s never quite as bad as it seems
But I’ve never been one for silver linings
And I know, this too will end

NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRY

Try to forget all we know
Let’s head on down that old rabbit hole
And see where it leads to
It can’t be much worse than where we are now.
Could you have ever imagined even four years ago
That we’d be here
With our hearts on the floor
And our plans on the shelf?

But that’s just the way things seem to go
Through no fault of own
Everything just seems to wanna fall apart

They say, “Roll with the punches and take them as they come”
But each one has come harder and faster and I’m pretty sure I’m done
Makes me wonder just how much I can bend
All this back and forth
Forever until I break apart at the seams

But that’s just the way things seem to go
Through no fault of our own
Everything just seems to wanna fall apart
Time and again

So take my hand, baby, and let us make a new start
What’s passed is past, it’s who we were, not who we are
You don’t live life in photographs alone
They just serve as reminders
Of where we were yesterday
And how far we’ve come

And how we thought all this should go
So many years ago
Long before everything fell apart
Time and again
No matter how hard we tried
Time and again
No matter how hard we tried
Time and again
No matter how hard we tried

SEA SHELL CITY

“Hold this to your ear to hear a sea that you may never see,”
She said as we stood amongst the cluttered racks north of Topinabee.
“Your grandfather and I have been around the world so many times I’ve lost count.
And every time we see another sea I start thinking of home”

“And everyone who’s back there,
How we wish you could go with us,
But you’re still too young.
So the best that we can do
Is head on up to Sea Shell City
Where we can hear the world.”

“They’ve got everything the world can offer you: starfish from the deepest oceans to shells from the Caribbean.
And maybe someday when you’re grown you will be far away from home and you can think of me here.”

“And all of us that are back here,
How we wish we could go with you,
But we’re just too old.
So the best that we can do
Is head on up to Sea Shell City
Where we can hear the world.”

OUR ROOTS RUN DEEP

Annie says my face is looking older these days
I said, “But aren’t we all? It’s just the passage of time”
Seems like yesterday we were little more than kids
And now we’ve all got a few of our own running around

Back then the future was supposed to be
Such a long ways off, something to consider another time
But ain’t it funny how fast the years keep slipping away?
The more we rack up, the quicker they fade

Our friends all moved away, but like us, some of them came back
After all, this ain’t such a bad place to be
The cost of living might be getting just a little too high
But there’s still work, at least enough to get by

And now our kids all go to school in the same ones we did
More than half a lifetime ago
And though the world has changed a lot in the intervening years
The idea of home still remains

Just the other day I saw an old friend of mine
Well it’d been years in the blink of an eye
We’re husbands and wives now living separate lives
And we’d lost touch, it’s just the way that it goes

But there’s a comfort in knowing the place where you come from
And finding other folks who feel the same
Hell, I suppose that’s the draw that keeps bringing us back
In search of what we all seem to have lost

These days my wife and I don’t always see eye to eye
But on this, we both can agree:
This place where we grew up, well, it was good enough for us
And so it’s here we’ll raise our family
Yes it’s here, where our roots run deep
Oh yes it’s here, where our roots run deep

WORK IN PROGRESS

I tried so very hard not to disappoint you
To be the best version of myself
I tried so very hard to live the life you’d hoped for me
And not be the black sheep of the family

I tried so very hard to live up to my name
To make others who have carried it proud
I tried so very hard to be the best that I could be
Without ever really knowing what that might mean

But I know what it means to be lonely
I know what it means to be sad
I know what it means to feel like life has passed me by
Yeah, I know what it feels like to cry

I tried so very hard to make a good name for myself
One that would in turn make you proud
I tried so very hard not to open up and bleed
To be the kind of person others might need

I tried so very hard not to disappoint you
To keep all of my concerns well in check
I tried so very hard to keep you from finding out
What disappointment really might mean

But I know what it means to be lonely
I know what it means to be sad
I know what it means to feel like life has passed me by
Yeah, I know what it feels like to cry

THE ROAD OF LIFE

The road you’re on might seem to be headed in the wrong direction
And the signs along the way keep pointing to the places that you’ve just come from
You change your mind a thousand times, wondering if there might be something better
Coz this road of life, well it just don’t seem to be quite what you’d expected

But it’s okay
Sit back, enjoy the ride
Just keep moving
You’ll get to where you need to be in time

You might find you’re miles from home and the world around you don’t look quite as friendly
As the place where you grew up and it seemed everybody knew your name
But the grass is always greener, even back on that other side
Coz in time you’ve forgotten that you left your home looking for a place to hide

But it’s okay
Sit back, enjoy the ride
Just keep moving
You’ll get to where you need to be in time

And now it seems you’ve knocked about this country aimlessly for too long
But you took off without a map to chart a course and track how far you’ve come
The miles you’ve put in seem to stretch out well beyond the horizon
And if pressed I’m sure you could recall each step that’s made you who you are

So take heart
You’ve had one helluva ride
You kept moving
And been right where you’re supposed to be this whole time
Yeah, you kept moving
And been right where you’re supposed to be this whole time

A Monday In June

Lyrics

THE WORRIERS HALL OF FAME

PLUS TWO

I don’t know much for sure
But I know that you’re the one for me
Coz even after all these years
You still choose to stand by me

And I know it’s not always the easiest thing to do
Never knowing quite what you’ll be coming home to

Coz I can be a bit much
And I know that it’s hard on you
We’ve had our ups and our downs
But no more or less than anyone else that we know

And now I’ve spent nearly half of my life loving you
Building a life together, now plus two

I’ve never known much for sure
But I know that you’re the one for me
Even after all these years
I still love waking up next to you

And I’ll spend the rest of my days loving you
And the life we share together, now plus two

EXISTENTIALIST BLUES

She don’t like the sad songs I play
Though she’ll listen to them day after day
She recommends that I write a happier song or two
Coz all of them sad songs they just make her feel blue

She says it’s time to look on the sunnier side of life
Put away all that toil and strife
Sing a song that’s pleasing to the ear
With words and a melody full of cheer

Coz she don’t like the sad songs I play
Says they have a way of ruining her day
So why not write about something kinda nice for a change?
With a little more sugar and a whole lot less spice

So I’m gonna keep on playing my sad old songs
Until the day something better comes along
Use the same few chords and borrowed licks
‘Til this sad old dog learns a few happier tricks

THE ROAD OF LIFE

But it’s okay
Sit back, enjoy the ride
Just keep moving
You’ll get to where you need to be in time

Dogtown Studio Session

Lyrics

MIDWESTERN MODESTY

Hell, we’ve come this far, what’s one more mile in the grand scheme of things?
No sense in trying to start over might as well just work with what we’ve got
Make the best of things and hope that all the rest will one day follow suit and fall in line

Coz lord knows we’ve put in our time
Spending our better years
Hoping something more might come
Yet knowing full well
This might be as far as we go

And continued to put in our time
Spending our better years
Counting down each passing mile
Knowing full well
The road ahead is quickly running out

Lord knows we’ve put in our time
Spending our better years
Hoping something more might come
Yet knowing full well
This might be as far as we go
This might be as far as we go

SILVER LININGS

A simple twist of fate has brought us here
And I know it’s hard for you
To reconcile with what just went down
This will take some time for you

Try not to think too hard
There’s nothing that you could’ve done
To prolong all of the suffering
And the pain of just wanting to die

Coz you know, there’s only so much you can take
Before you just wanna give up
And you know that no one is to blame
For all of the shit they put you through
And you know, this too will end

And now I wonder if you’re wondering about me
Hoping that I’m doing well
Coz you know, I often think about you
Though I’ve no one left to tell

Plus Two EP

Lyrics

FOLLOW YOUR LEAD

I’ll follow you down
As far as this might go
Leave it up to chance
Hope for the best
But expect the worst

You’d think I’d learn time and again
Know when to cut my loses
But this misplaced sense of loyalty
Well, it keeps burning me to my very soul

To tell the truth I’ve had my doubts
But I’ve kept them to myself
Found it easier to just hang on
And weather what I could

And show no signs of weakness
Courage under fire
Follow your lead
And do my best to keep my guts from spilling out

So when I face my day of reckoning
Will I have done all that I could
To rise above all that bullshit
And separate the evil from the good?

And did I set a good example
As a father and a man?
Will I have taught my boys all I could to do better than what I’ve done?
Yeah, I hope they’re better than what I’ve become

WOLVES AT THE DOOR

There are wolves at the door
I heard ‘em coming down
From the mountains and the woods way outside of town
They’re pawing at the windows and sniffing at the locks
I guess it’s only a matter of time
Before they find their way inside
With their teeth flashing white
And their tongues all a-wagging
There’s no place for us to hide
Gotta ride it out, hope for the best
And maybe see you on the other side

I never though I’d see the day
When the whole wide world went to hell
When we all had to stay, wish and hope and pray to make the goddamn thing go away
We’re all in this together, don’t matter who you are
We’re all bound to suffer by the light of a dying star
From the richest to the poorest and all points in between
These are times I hope we never see again

We were hiding ‘neath the pillows
With the blankets on our heads
Nestled deep within the false security of our beds
When the news came down, the wolves had come to town
I guess it’s time for us to lock up all the doors
And shutter up all the windows so no light can come in
Hurry up and help me out before things begin
To go from bad to worse, I hear them wolves howling now
I pray to god we make it out alive

PLUS TWO

I don’t know much for sure
But I know that you’re the one for me
Coz even after all these years
You still choose to stand by me

And I know it’s not always the easiest thing to do
Never knowing quite what you’ll be coming home to

Coz I can be a bit much
And I know that it’s hard on you
We’ve had our ups and our downs
But no more or less than anyone else that we know

And now I’ve spent nearly half of my life loving you
Building a life together, now plus two

I’ve never known much for sure
But I know that you’re the one for me
Even after all these years
I still love waking up next to you

And I’ll spend the rest of my days loving you
And the life we share together, now plus two