Don’t write no songs for no one Didn’t buy this guitar for ya Been picking at these strings for centuries Since I was younger Sometimes the sounds they spill Onto the page, into some grooves Don’t be fooled, don’t get confused It’s all for me, I promise you Please forgive me for all this This sustained catharsis I’ve been wrestling with some things You ought to know Believe me when I say Haven’t figured out any other way Keeps me on these highs And kills the lows So, if you’re feeling like you need a helping hand to carry on Tap your foot, sing a song, strike a chord, or hum along ‘Cause it doesn’t even matter if you can’t carry a tune Remember that one’s for you Taste for all the words on the tip of your tongue They’re coursing through your veins and they got to get out I know they’re somewhere inside where you were meant to find them That melody’s for you, no need to hide it Channel that scream inside your head Land on that beat inside your chest Let it spill out of you like you can only do It just might help, I promise you It’s all I know and it’s worked so far I’m not naive enough to think That this will work for us all That’s my advice and it’s worth a try

Waking up next to you never felt that strange Though for fifty weeks you’re three thousand miles away At least once a year we could be sincere Lying naked on the ground, heartbeat’s distorted sound This moment is the one and only thing that we possess So, let’s fill these walls with passion and excess She said, “Crack another bottle and please fuck me hard We don’t have that much time left, I can hear the engines start.” I can’t wait another year, darling please Let’s barricade the door and let’s be free Oh darling,,won’t you destroy yourself with me In the alleyway of Fifth Avenue In the jungle’s heart I fell in love with you Trapped between graffitied walls Smiled and said, “Fuck it all” You kissed me blind and I grabbed your belt The studs I touched, the best I ever felt I told you I’d never let you go Your piercings are cold but your body’s warm You said “You’re a perfect fit” Well, you’re the perfect form We used to laugh at the idea that we could be More than escape or a silent plea Smile at the fiction of a joint life lived No one cared for less or more than we did From St. John’s to Hamilton To East Hastings and back again We’ve got Highway 1 and fifty weeks to sleep Play those drums until my fingers bleed Another show, another place, another time I’m lost in your eyes and a bottle of wine I told you I’d never let you go Your piercings are cold but your body’s warm You said, “You’re a perfect fit” Well, you’re the perfect form Well, I hate to admit that I’m getting old I can’t play every night, I can’t live on the road Sighed, “Me too,” put out your cigarette “We’ll always have the moments when we met” We don’t have another year, darling please Let’s barricade the door and let’s be free Oh darling, won’t you destroy yourself with me Well, you put down your sticks and I put down my guitar We walked away from the music, but we never got that far Smoke on your lips, sweat on your chest Ten years of memories might send me back West Don’t know where to find you And I shouldn’t even try It was the finitude that sustained us And some jaded, friendly lies And I think of you now and then While I’m sipping on my tea Wonder if you or I ever really knew What it meant to be free So, darling if you’re out there, won’t you please Smile at these careless memories Of when I asked you Would you destroy yourself with me

Bottle in my hand, three by my side I’ve been crawling through this jungle Convinced we fucking died Sometime long ago In a basement or a bar Held together by our tension Jaundiced eyes and battle scars With my bloodstained six string I step upon the stage Imperfection at its best Disorder, vice and rage The cost of this life far exceeds the pay We don’t pretend for a minute That we’ll make it one more day, no What the fuck are we doing out here On the road and playing shows To empty rooms, running on fumes And mediocre tunes Wouldn’t change it for the world I’m grinding my teeth There’s no patience to be found What can you do when your meccas let you down? Three thousand miles, seven bucks and four drinks It’s hard to make an escape when You’re teetering on the brink With my bloodstained six string I strum an open chord Jagged pick, rusted strings The best that I can afford The cost of this life will cut you to the core When you’re waking up with the rats on another basement floor Try as I might, take back that shot Hate the three beside me but they’re all I fucking got Keep crawling along with that bottle in my hand Shaking it for change, pretend I’m fucking dead With my bloodstained six string I stumble on the stage Pain in my side and a smile on my face You might be thinking, ‘What you doing in this place?’ I say, “What do you think?” Five, six, seven, eight

I’ve seen men killed before my eyes For the simplest of reasons why Forced into drugs and booze Assaulted, raped and abused And that was all while I was young I’ve grown up and I’m so strong And if you see me smile, don’t judge me This world will never let me be free I’m not fucked up is what she said I’ve been beaten to a bloody pulp And left for fucking dead But I’m alive Is what she implied When there’s no chance of escape You take it one step at a time She’s not looking for perfection She’s not looking for the best She just wants something better Something better than this mess Something better than this fucking mess Did she really ever have a chance? Or was it just some sort of shit circumstance? I know I’m being naïve She doesn’t need a single thing from me Not these questions or explanations Certainly not a privileged fuck’s salvation She knows exactly what she needs Might not be ideal Might not set her free Well, I remember when I was young And didn’t understand When normal isn’t right You do what you can And I know this place is fucked But you’re given what you get And I’ll keep wading through this filth Step by fucking step

Had to guess I’d say It’s early on in the day Maybe five or maybe ten Could be Wednesday afternoon Fuck, that could be true To be fair, I don’t give a damn Might be the windowless room The strong whiskey or good tunes That makes time feel like a tall tale We know what matters most The company you host That mantra never fails So, won’t you pour another drink for me I’ve missed your face I’ve got nowhere to be And every reason to stay In fact, I can’t recall Why I ever left this place Was it yesterday or a decade ago? Even if I stayed here for a lifetime Wouldn’t feel nearly long enough You know, we always have the best times Picking up where we left off What are we searching for our there? It seems like everything we’re looking for is right here Amidst whiskey-fueled philosophies Won’t you put another record on for me We’re always singing the same songs You know, I can’t recall how we met Mustn’t have been a momentous event Or maybe we just knew each other all along I’m sure we’d get some sleep If the conversation ever ceased If there’s nothing left for us to pursue Good thing we’re not in a rush Talking bullshit, truths and such Knowing I’ll have to leave soon Like I always do

Hey Johnny, I see you running To exactly where I don’t know Whatcha going to do when you get there If it’s just as fucking cold? And the freedom that you sought was just a dream Concocted like all the gods you tried to defeat What then Johnny, will you turn around And make your way back home Or will you stay and battle on? It’s not easy staying upright When you believe in what you do Your ideals become opinions And they’re calling you a fool And the crowds that used to join you Have all moved along But you’re not going anywhere, no You’re sticking to your guns Those cracks throughout your armor They ain’t looking all that good But you know that there’s a difference In what you could and what you should For freedom and for justice Whatever those words mean You’re not going anywhere, no No matter how bleak it seems Battle on won’t you, Johnny Battle on won’t you boy Battle on won’t you, Johnny Battle on for us Battle on for me and you I know you will Yeah, you will Hey Johnny, I see you running To exactly where I don’t care Let us know when you find it And we’ll surely join you there

They say that eyes don’t change but your’s sure have I might be mistaken, you’re so far away from me That was my fault after all Showed you her picture You said you didn’t recognize it at all “Must be someone else you’ve mistaken me for A shadow of a dream of a memory long gone” Must admit that I tend to get lost in my head Hasn’t changed much from the way I was back then Got to get back to where I went wrong But what continent did I leave you on? My feet are tired, the world is big It’s time that I concede defeat Hello again won’t you please tell me your name You seem so familiar from the places I’ve been Like three words I cannot grasp Like a faded photograph Yeah, it’s something Yeah, it’s something … Even if I circled back around like I always said that I would Surely, you’d have travelled on like I always knew you should Thought I saw something leave your eyes On the jetway when we said our goodbyes Told myself that I’d see you again Convinced myself of so many things back then Hard to stop looking for you Even harder to admit that you are gone Well, I’ll keep retracing my steps But what continent did I leave you on? I think I hear your voice across the room Blended with a thousand singing true I can’t be sure and I wouldn’t bet I tell myself this is as close as I’ll get

I know you ain’t been feeling all that good No one has You’re pissed off and tired And exhausted and mired In this bullshit that seems to never end Though that overwhelming feeling of defeat Makes you want to give up or leave Just take a look around and see All the fronts are under attack Education and generations of rights have been rolled back We’ve got decades and decades , decades to go The front line’s now the only place you’ll know There’s nowhere to go Take a step up to the barricade Survey this terrain with me I see our bodies, our bedrooms, and our voice They’re burning books and banning words Seeding doubt in fact, it’s all absurd Farewell to your freedoms of choice When errant originalism is the foundation for judicial decision It’s fucking bullshit Can’t talk about race and you can’t say ‘gay’ And bodily autonomy is owned by the state It’s fucking bullshit To tell you the truth is we need more people like you out here We’re all in this together for the long haul I fear Just take a deep breath ...

I’ve got a skip in my step today Static in the canyons from years of play Scratches on my face Edges wearing thin Memories of all the hands that ever touched my skin And the sounds of those impressed deep within Turn the lights off and keep me on Let’s sing ourselves to sleep with one more song Had another’s name on my sleeve when we met Can’t take it off without removing who I am Never mattered much anyway Never thought you’d keep me around Never thought you’d stay But you keep humming my stories in your sleep No one reads me like you do From the most faded ink to the most shallow groove Keep running your fingers ‘cross my back Be as gentle as you want but know I was meant for you and built to last You’ve got a skip in your step today Static in the canyons from years of play Scratches on your face Edges wearing thin Memories of all the hands that ever touched your skin And the sounds of those impressed deep within

You remember, we were young And they tried to teach us what we ought to become Blueprints of their best laid plans Mapping our lives from beginning to end But we were never ones for Walking down the roads most worn Us creative souls We gazed out into the world And know we wanted more In spite of all the things they said we should be We live our lives just the way that we please In spite of all the things they said we should be Yeah, we’re here Yeah, we’re right here And doing fine We know it’s never all that easy No, it’s damn well hard at times When everyone keeps seeing failure ‘Cause we never would color between the lines But, we take a step back and we see the beauty In all we’ve done Us creative souls We gaze out into the world And know there’s more to come Back when we were young We figured out all that we needed to That it’s never been about the end for us It’s the journey through And as much as I wish again our paths would cross I keep your art on my wall and you in my heart Let’s keep living our best lives, my friend Soon, I’ll write you again