WHY NOT
Why not do some good today
With the time that we’ve got
Start with something simple
A lesson learned or to be taught
Plant a seed or lend a hand
A little helps a lot
Why not do some good today
With the time that we’ve got
Why not conquer fear today
Before it’s far too late
Lay to rest the grudges
Stamp out the flames of hate
Release the burden from your back
Rise up as calm awaits
Why not conquer fear today
Before it’s far too late
Why not stop a war today
Before our time is up
The sides we find each other on
Bombs waiting to erupt
Or battling within ourselves
Let’s say enough’s enough
Why not stop a war today
Before our time is up
Why not send out love today
With the time that remains
Be brave in the face of all you see
Wipe away the tears of pain
Connecting to each other
Pure and honest as the rain
Why not send out love today
With the time that remains
Why not send out love today
With the time that remains
INSTRUMENT FOR GOOD
Back in ’47, it was a gift from my mom
My dad never learned to play a single song
Us kids took turns, some got good, some not so great
Now it’s here with the seventh son out of eight
Like the sympathetic ear of an old family friend
Listens to the story never gives away the end
More songs in it than I’ll ever write or play
It’s been a blessing either way
CHORUS: Mahogany and spruce, that Gibson LG-2
Light gauge heart strings unlocking everything
Hoping one day it could
Make me an instrument for good, for good
Brings us together 'round campfire flames
Calling out injustice and taking names
Changed a few minds, made others pause to think
And it’s always good company for a drink
CHORUS: Mahogany and spruce, that Gibson LG-2
Sing it loud and clear, watch divisions disappear
Hoping one day it could
Make me an instrument for good, for good
Made by hand in Kalamazoo
Oh the worn down fretboard grooves
Locked in the case I can feel it resonate
it’s 3am, it’s why I’m still awake
Now it guides me, shows which way to go
Some days takes the high road, some days the low
It can even make a bad song sound just fine
I should know, it’s banged out plenty of mine
CHORUS: Mahogany and spruce, that Gibson LG-2
Holding family history, searching for the best of me
Hoping one day it could
Make me an instrument for good, for good
Make me an instrument for good
PAYCHECK
Mowing lawns in the late august heat
So much dust I can hardly breathe
It was all worthwhile at the end of the week
Flipping burgers on a grease-filled grill
Getting by pushing up that hill
Scars and burns and a piece of my will
My first W2 tax paying blues
CHORUS: It’s the weight I got tied to
Shackled sometimes lied to
The almighty buck
A place I was stuck
Sold my soul and self respect
For that first paycheck
Like an addict hooked on junk
Or vampire in need of blood
A shell of a man time-clock punch drunk
What little I put it in the bank
Barely enough to fill my tank
Like a prisoner at the end of a shank
Drink it away till the next payday
CHORUS: It’s the weight I got tied to
Shackled sometimes lied to
The almighty buck
A place i was stuck
Sold my soul and self respect
For that next paycheck
Thirty years, sixty hour weeks
So many valleys, not many peaks
No matter how much I earned
Or was warned about bein’ burned
Some lessons never get learned
Caught up livin’ beyond my means
Second mortgage and bank loan liens
Chasing the American dream
I got fired ten days back
Took the boot from off of my neck
Let me fall with no safety net
But at least i got my last paycheck
I’m just here to pick up my last paycheck
RIDE OF THEIR LIVES (Ronnie & Connie)
They met at the Iosco County Fair
Just 13, parents dropped them there
Ronnie and Connie, the names might’ve rhymed
But they were so different, each one of a kind
Connie had full lips begging to be kissed
Self-conscious about her freckles and her lisp
Ronnie was clumsy, kindhearted, kinda slow
Big for his age, hair everywhere starting to grow
'CHORUS: Round and 'round and round they went
Into the cool night air their love was sent
Oh fireworks Ferris wheels
smell of grease and elephant ears
They held hands, closed their eyes
ready for the ride of their lives
Connie’s womanhood arrived early, Ronnie pulled out late
The two were married by graduation day
A couple kids later, second stories being built
So many hopes and dreams not to be fulfilled
'CHORUS: Round and 'round it all goes by
Love doesn’t always seem to see eye to eye
Oh losing jobs losing sleep,
climbing out of a hole way too deep
They held hands, closed their eyes
on the ride of their lives
Sixty years ago, love at first sight
Now neither wants to be the one left behind
They pray each day for a longer stay
Now the family added lots of babies and grand babies
Even one they lost named for grandma Sadie
All live on the same street just a few blocks away
Quite a journey from that carnival midway
'CHORUS: Round and 'round and round life turns
For Ronnie and Connie, true love was earned
Every season every change, years of joy years of pain
They still hold hands, close their eyes
It’s been the ride of their lives
PAUL
A boy of sixteen not quite a man
An entire future in front of him
Lived in a room right down the hall
I was eleven. his name was Paul
A boy of sixteen. a mouth that roared
Good Catholic boy, he swore and swore
Smart as a whip, a nerd, a brainiac
On the hockey rink, a maniac
A boy of sixteen in a Ford Mustang
No seat belts on that icy terrain
Out he flew, hit his head
Dad held him, pronounced dead
CHORUS Who’s at fault, who’s to blame
For the seventy years that never came
Never mind what was done or who we are
Forgiveness only gets you so far
A boy of sixteen had to ride with friends
'Cause older sister won the family car that weekend
She carried that weight for twenty odd years
A million gallons of unwept tears
A boy of sixteen, didn’t know him that well
Mostly what my brothers and sisters would tell
There was life before and life after
A dividing line between sorrow and laughter
CHORUS Who’s at fault, who’s to blame
For the seventy years that never came
Never mind what was done or who we are
Forgiveness only gets you so far
Asking why, there’s no good answer
Would it be easier if it were cancer
In my story, the rest remain nameless
So the rest of us can remain blameless
A soul of sixteen, where did he go
Can he still hear us, I’d like to think so
As I sit on his grave, stare into the stone
Would he still be here if he had stayed at home
CHORUS Who’s at fault, who’s to blame
For the seventy years that never came
Never mind what was done or who we are
Forgiveness only gets you so far
Forgiveness only gets you so far
PET PEEVES
CHORUS: What bugs me, kind of irks me
Gets under my skin, irritates me to no end
Rubs me the wrong way, annoys me every single day
Got a gripe or two, got a bone to pick,
got a side of beef with you. Now here’s a few
The group texter, negativity projector
The gas passers, bullies and harassers
The story repeater, grocery line cheater
The food spitter, bar tab splitter
Express lane slow driver, the always late arriver
Movie talkers, pokey walkers,
those generic pants called Dockers
CHORUS: What bugs me, kind of irks me
Gets under my skin, irritates me to no end
Rubs me the wrong way, annoys me every single day
Got a gripe or two, got a bone to pick,
got a side of beef with you Now here’s a few more
The over sharer, bad toupee wearer
E-smokers, newly legal tokers
The I told you so-er, the what’s up there bro-er
Well, deer tick bites, July Christmas lights
Unpicked up dog dumps, oversized speed bumps
Reply-all senders,
how do they make those chicken tenders
Getting up in my face with really bad breath
Drug ads that disclaim it may cause death
Clear cut miles of forest call it The Preserve
If only insurrectionists would get what they deserve
Ticketmaster fees, empty rolls of TP
Chip dip double dippers, stuck pant zippers
Speakerphones in public spaces,
over funded political races
Daylight saving time,
un-prosecuted white collar crime
Conspiracy nuts, cigarette butts,
those nasty little paper cuts
CHORUS: What bugs me, kind of irks me
Gets under my skin, irritates me to no end
Rubs me the wrong way, annoys me every single day
Got a gripe or two, got a bone to pick,
got a side of beef with you
We all got a a few pet peeves,
including some we may misperceive
Think it’s time we all just get up and leave
with all of our pet peeves
LET THE NEW RENEW YOU
The same world that can beat you down
Can take your breath away without a sound
Sky of blue, fresh cup of brew
Early morning dew, right on cue
So don’t let it all slip on by
Hold on to each second as hard as you try
Tiny fingers and toes snuggled up so close
Warm as toast, like heaven I suppose
CHORUS: Let the new renew you
Let it flow right on through
Just breathe it in, feel it on your skin and once again
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
There’s a future ready to appear
Know that you can get there from here
A ring, a hand, the power of and
An entire life span, grains of sand
CHORUS: Let the new renew you
Let it flow right on through
Wake up each day so light you might float away
Into the suns rays
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
Hands that heal, hearts that feel
Change that’s real
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
Let the new renew you
HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
My brother, my brother how are you tonight
Can I ease the pain that ravages inside
The silence rings, I just long to hear you sing
My brother how are you tonight
My sister, my sister how are you today
Did you get to watch your grandchildren play
How strong you are, our longest shining star
My sister how are you today
CHORUS: These things we ask as our lives go rushing past
Why the hell are we here, make a little mark then disappear
What’s about to be all that happened before
When we had more life, why didn’t we live more
My friend, my friend how have you been
Haven’t seen you since who knows when
So many memories run through
When I think of you my friend, how have you been
CHORUS: These things we ask as our lives go rushing past
Why the hell are we here, make a little mark then disappear
What’s about to be all that happened before
When we had more life, why didn’t we live more
These things we ask as our lives go rushing past
Why the hell are we here, make a little mark then disappear
What’s about to be all that happened before
When we had more life, why didn’t we live more
When we had more life, why didn’t we live more
LEFT TO OURSELVES
We can learn to survive, hunt, fish and grow
What about our spirit, what about our soul
Maybe leather our skin, toughen our mind
What about the choice to be cruel or to be kind
CHORUS: What is our nature beyond DNA
Kill or be killed, wait for the judgement day
We arrive in this world with no rules and no clue
Left to ourselves, what would we do
Then there’s a war between my brother and me
The same one dividing half our country
One side feels slighted, a wrong that can’t be righted
Time bomb ticking, both need a damn good licking
CHORUS: What is our nature beyond DNA
Kill or be killed, wait for the judgement day
We arrive in this world with no rules and no clue
Left to ourselves, what would we do
Left to ourselves, what would we do
The ego, the ID, live and let live,
weak or strong, right or wrong
Black or white, day or night,
begin or end, enemy or friend, good or bad
Happy or sad, rich or poor, peace or war,
create or destroy, a girl or a boy
Agree to disagree, is our will really free
To err is human, to forgive is divine
Isn’t it time we all should give it a try
CHORUS: What is our nature beyond DNA
Kill or be killed, wait for the judgement day
We arrive in this world with no rules and no clue
Left to ourselves, what would we do
Left to ourselves, what would we do
WIPE AWAY
Wipe away the breakfast plates
The sausage gravy that you hate
Wipe away your runny nose
Warm those hands, thaw those toes
Wipe away the dried toothpaste
All the days we worked to waste
Wipe away all of our debts
Those vacations and regrets
CHORUS: Were we wrong all along
Is the pain all that remains
Now there’s nothing left to say
Until we, too, are wiped away
Wipe away the shedding skin
Wish it hadn’t been so thin
Wipe away the doggie hair
Obligations that we shared
Wipe away the dripping paint
Reveal the sinner and the saint
Wipe away our blameless past
Be forgiven at last
CHORUS: Were we wrong all along
Is the pain all that remains
Now there’s nothing left to say
Until we, too, are wiped away
What we’ve done to each other
Left us running for cover
Will the parts that remain
Remove the doubt and the stains
Wipe away our history
All the years of you and me
Wipe away every scar
The ones that made us who we are
Wipe away the dotted line
Dividing what’s yours and what’s mine
Wipe away all that we gave
And hope there’s something left to save
WHEN KINDNESS COMES TO STAY
Sometimes kindness is a garden
Gettin’ out as much as you put in
Calloused sunburned skin
Digging in the ground
Or is it life’s secret sauce
Pour it on after sorrow and loss
So you know how to cross
Without looking down
Maybe it’s a rubber band
Stretch it out as far as you can
Let mindfulness expand
Wrap it round and round
CHORUS: No matter how it finds you, how it reminds you
When you least expect it, how will you accept it
When kindness comes to stay
When kindness comes your way
When you let go of not doing enough
Answers are there in the hard stuff
Always too little never too much
Isn’t that the truth
Does it live inside, can we pass it along
Maybe through the verse of some old song
Weighing all the right and wrong
Laid out in front of you
CHORUS: No matter how it finds you, how it reminds you
When you least expect it, how will you accept it
When kindness comes to stay
When kindness comes your way
When kindness comes to stay
When kindness comes your way
WHAT PRAYER
I don’t know what prayers are for
While hate is hiding outside the door
Who do we forgive will we turn the other cheek
Will we go on fighting, so we don’t look weak
Do we really listen, do we understand
What makes us human is what give us a fighting chance
So where do we go from here
'Though it’s not exactly clear
Could this be the time that we’re torn apart
Opposite sides, breaking our hearts
Or will we find a way to unite us all
Binding together, so this world doesn’t fall too far
Love of one another is the only truth
Love yourself first, then love will follow you