famous people (rewrite 2)

famous people

all know one another

they're not like the others

they're not unknown

famous people

appear in the headlines

the reason for deadlines

they're never alone

they have fans and they have fun

looking out for number one

they always know just what to do

wouldn't you like to be famous?

famous people

say what they mean

from online magazines

they stare at you

famous people

smile beautiful smiles

but after a while

it gets harder to do

always standing tall and pretty

futures voted by committee

strategies to pull you through

wouldn't you like to be famous?

famous people

they are not you

no matter what you do

that's why they're stars

famous people

we think they're above us

they may say they love us

but that won't get us far

but still you wish that you were in

part of a group you've never been

someone you wish you knew

wouldn't you like to be famous?

cooking with gas

you got a shot of tequila

and a bottle of wine

and a mouthful of something

that tastes like turpentine

hurry up

time's moving fast

now we're cooking with gas

you've learned your lessons

as well as you can

and no one around you

will ever understand

that soon these problems 

won't last

now you're cooking with gas

empty-handed

I am not empty-handed

I brought a bottle of wine

people seem to like me okay

even though I barely talk

I am feeling anxious

a few drinks and I'll feel fine

and if you see me drunk

chances are I can't walk

greeting card

I am a greeting card

I'm being sent to you

because that's the thing

us greeting cards do

I can say happy birthday

merry Christmas as well

when you're a greeting card

there's so much to tell

you may think I'm corny

when you read what's inside

but I am sincere

I have nothing to hide

I say what I mean

and I mean what I say

I'm here to celebrate

your special day

maybe it's your birthday

or the fourth of July

but whatever the reason

I will not pass you by

I am a shining moment

I am not a snob

I can make you happy

because that is my job

I am a greeting card

and I know what to do

I'll make today better

you won't feel blue

life may be trying

and life can be hard

I will try to make it easier

I am a greeting card

Thanksgiving 2023

today was Thanksgiving

it all went great

every single bite

I did appreciate

like I did the company

with whom I spent this day

I am so thankful

for what has come my way

perfect groom/perfect bride

give me a second

I'll be right there

I just gotta brush and comb 

my disappearing hair

then I will be

right by your side

the perfect groom

with the perfect bride

we are not young

we are old

and still we don't do

everything we're told

you love me

and I love you

there's only one thing

left to do

let's get married

I know we can

our kids may never

understand

but love exists

no matter your age

in the book of love

we're turning the page

so give me a second

I'm ready to go

where the future leads us

somewhere we don't know

and we will be happy

you know it's true

we were made for love

me and you

I am waiting

I am waiting

like I normally do

for one of

my dreams to come true

all this waiting

plays tricks with my head

I should do 

something else instead

take me

shake me

make me work

instead of just waiting

like just another jerk

I am waiting

it's my natural stand

to complain about

everything at hand

instead of doing

what I need to do

like making the changes

that I need to

move me

don't confuse me

just use me up

I can do good

if I'm worked up enough

I am waiting

like I do every time

there is a need

that's indivisibly mine

someday I won't wait

I will get things done

all of my worries

every one

I'll be working

not hurting

flirting with success

I am through waiting

I will do my best

hope

all I need

is a cup of hot coffee

an open window

and a pocket of dreams

to make me happy

to give me peace

to let me know nothing

is quite what it seems

          I still have hope

          at least for today

          that there are some things

          that will go my way

          I still have hope

          I do believe

          that life has something

          up its sleeve

all I need

is a constant companion

someone kind and gentle

to keep me company

one who won't cheat

or leave me abandoned

that's the way

I want it to be

          I still have hope

          at least for today

          that there are some things

          that will go my way

          I still have hope

          I do believe

          that life has something

          up its sleeve

all I need

is something to hope for

to know that tomorrow

is not beyond my reach

to know a trust

that can't be ignored

a spirit that lives

inside of me

          I still have hope

          at least for today

          that there are some things

          that will go my way

          I still have hope

          I do believe

          that life has something

          up its sleeve

there is nothing

there is nothing in my mind

that I hope to ever find

all that I have left behind

reminds me of you

there is nothing in my heart

that contains the missing parts

so I'm left alone to start

feeling blue

what can I do?

there is nothing left to hope

all I try to do is cope

I ask my heart and it says "nope

not that way"

there is nothing I can do

to create my own way through

for a chance of seeing you

I'd start today

what would you say?

          there must be some way

          to stop these troubled thoughts

          I feel like a criminal

          who's begging to be caught

there is nothing in my life

to compare to your eyes

I am not telling lies

only the truth

there is nothing but my soul

and it's trying to gain control

only you can make me whole

you know it's true

there is nothing for me

but you

like nobody's business

she could sing like nobody's business

she could make your mama cry

she moved mountains as she bore witness

to her savior up above the sky

she would sing like an angel

from a whisper to a scream

she could sing like nobody's business

with a voice out of a dream

she could take you to heaven

in God's everlasting arms

to see the miracles within

to keep you safe from harm

she would offer understanding

for whatever may go wrong

she could sing like nobody's business

with the spirit in her song

she would sing of God's love

she would tell His story

her song would always rise above

pure, in all its glory

she was a true believer

in the Lord she relied upon

she could sing like nobody's business

and her memory will live on

there is no way to know

there is no way to know

what the future might bring

we can try to imagine

but it doesn't change anything

the days come in

and the days go out

and nobody knows

what they're really about

there is no way to know

if love really exists

it doesn't matter how many

people you have kissed

you can strive for love

you can stop and start

but nobody knows

what's in somebody's heart

I am a comedian

I am a comedian

and I am not funny

but I can do crowd work

better than most

I'm paying my dues

and I'm earning the money

I tour this whole country

from coast to coast

I am a comedian

my writing is abysmal

but I am good looking

enough to not care

my crowds take Klonopin

and Pepto-Bismol

to put up with

my humor out there

          I can make you laugh

          if your standards are low

          there is no limit

          to how bad I can go

I am a comedian

you should like me

for my charm and my face

and the words I have spoke

I may not be as funny

as you hoped I might be

but I am a comedian

let me tell you a joke

 

tomorrow comes quickly

tomorrow comes quickly

faster than you think

today will pass

and will not last

longer than you can blink

tomorrow's always coming

it's up around the bend

and just when you think it's over

it comes around again

tomorrow comes quickly

you would not believe

the magic tricks time

has got up its sleeve

you're here one minute

you're somewhere else the next

and nothing ever works out

the way you expect

tomorrow comes quickly

you better not be late

it's got more to do

inside of you

than you can appreciate

no matter the time

it's never enough

tomorrow comes quickly

the sun's coming up

settle for less

when I was young I knew everything

I knew exactly what was happening

I knew the facts and figures, too

there was nothing that I couldn't do

that's how it was, as I recall

now I feel like I know nothing at all

now that I'm grown I see the mistakes

all the trouble I used to make

as well as the mistakes I make today

you'd think by now they'd have gone away

I don't know what I think I did

I try to keep my ignorance hid

          when I was young I was so smart

          I thought with my own brain and heart

          now I've learned to second guess

          but I don't want to settle for less

when I was young I knew a lot

there was meaning behind every thought

now I'm lucky to be thinking clear

that there must be somewhere out of here

where I can know what I used to know

I'm not looking for it, though

          when I was young I was so smart

          I thought with my own brain and heart

          now I've learned to second guess

          but I don't want to settle for less

you don't know what you'll find

bad news comes in like a hurricane

like a criminal on a passenger train

all the good times that remain

are fading out of sight

you cannot wait until it ends

worry is your closest friend

it's just that old bad news again

looking for a fight

          you don't have to listen

          ease your worried mind

          you don't have to ask permission

          you don't know what you'll find

bad news gets a hold of you

and it knows exactly what to do

it tells you things that are untrue

and won't admit their lies

it can't tell you where to go

or even say look out below

sometimes all you know

is not to compromise

          you don't have to listen

          ease your worried mind

          you don't have to ask permission

          you don't know what you'll find

moment in the sun

you always search for something

no matter how old you get

there's too much to remember

and too much to forget

you're always waiting for something

but it hasn't happened yet

but still you keep trying

you're worried about the future

you're afraid of the past

you're just looking for something

that you think is going to last

you feel like an actor

that has sorely been miscast

but still you're not denying

          all you need is a moment in the sun

          all you need is a moment in the sun

you think about tomorrow

with a frown upon your face

you'd like to cancel your subscription

to the whole human race

thinking about a history

that cannot be replaced

though that doesn't stop you from trying

so in the morning you'll wake up

cursing that you're you

but you'll do everything

you know you should do

no matter what happens

you'll make it through

of this there's no denying

          all you need is a moment in the sun

          all you need is a moment in the sun

I will remember what to do

I woke up early

I stayed up late

my fatigue I don't appreciate

so today I don't feel so great

I'm tired as can be

last night I had a jug of wine

it tasted just like turpentine

I thought I was doing fine

then I remembered I was me

this is how it always goes

one day fast, one day slow

sometimes I think all I know

is nothing at all

I'd like to be a big success

but my future's anybody's guess

all I have is one request

please don't let me fall

          somebody help me up

          my own strength is not enough

          if you do I promise you

          I will remember what to do

life is just a trampoline

an image from a movie screen

up and down and in-between

it's yours alone to see

I could use some hope, I guess

the secret to my happiness

right about now I must confess

it's a hard job being me

          somebody help me up

          my own strength is not enough

          if you do I promise you

          I will remember what to do

you can't touch me (rewrite 1)

you can't touch me

I've erased you from my mind

I could search all of my memories

but it's you I cannot find

I've burned all of your letters

thrown your photographs away

your name is strangely absent

from all the words I say 

I have looked inside my soul

and set my own self free

you can't touch me

all your best intentions

won't do you any good

they will not affect me

the way you think they should

your words are all uneven

they disappear like dust

it's the truth -- I thought of you

as someone I could trust

now I believe it's time

for you to let me be 

you can't touch me

          I am someone 

          you will never see again

          I can't believe 

          I considered you a friend

someday in the future

if you should come around

I will keep all I remember

buried underground

and you won't affect me

I will not run in fear

I will only tell myself

that you are not here

a thought of you is only 

a waste of memory

you can't touch me

before you were born

before you were born

life was still complicated

you just don't remember

because you weren't here yet

everything was possible

nothing was yet validated

so much would happen

that you would forget

before you were born

your mom met your dad

they fell in love

while the spring was in bloom

they built themselves a future

that's all that they had

and then sooner, not later,

birth came and brought you

          time moves slow but fast

          nothing ever seems to last

before you were born

you couldn't even read

you depended on your parents

for nearly everything

and if you were lucky

they gave you what you needed

there was so much joy and pain

that this new life would bring

          time moves fast but slow

          but it's the only time you know

before you were born

you could not be aware

of the love and the glory

life laid ahead for you

it's all very simple

you don't have to be scared

you're all full of instinct

you know what to do

come on, brain

come on, brain

work for once

I'm giving you a second chance

I'm betting you

can work it out

in the right circumstance

come on, courage

you're needed now

a whole lot more than ever before

please do not ignore me

I've forgotten

way too much

help me to remember this

there is more to living life

than simply trying to exist

come on, faith

I need you here

sleeping on my floor

please do not ignore me

I need all

the strength I have

now in the nick of time

every seed that I have planted

I will accept as mine

come on, brain

do the stuff

you used to do before

please do not ignore me

please do not ignore me

right now

right now I need some sweet inspiration

I need something to happen to help me see

I know that I can be a little impatient

but there is so much love inside of me

right now I need to hold on to something

I need someone to help me through the storm

you might think I'm a good-for-nothing

but I'm as innocent as the day I was born

right now I could use a helping hand

to guide me where I believe I belong

a mental push to help me understand

that life doesn't always end up wrong

love got lost

I thought I had it made

showgirls on parade

attention will be paid

no matter the cost

but along the way

love got lost

I thought I knew everything

it comes and goes like early spring

I'm reaching for the golden ring

but I got double crossed

and somewhere down the line

love got lost

          love got lost and I can't find it

          I can't seem to never mind it

          I'll have to underline it

          love got lost

I thought i was Mister Cool

mistaking and shaking the whole day through

now I know just what to do

to make it through across

and as I was moving

love got lost

now you are home (different song)

you don't have to worry anymore

life won't be what it was before

all your thoughts and plans

are not made of stone

you don't have to be afraid

of all the choices you have made

you are not alone

now you are home

there are no rules to obey

good luck is coming your way

happiness and sanity

are now what you own

everything is crystal clear

endless as the atmosphere

there is joy yet to be known

now you are home

          now you are home

          now you know just what to do

          now you are home

          where love waits for you

so walk up the sidewalk

open the door

there will be pleasures and treasures

and more

you are no longer

in the danger zone

you can finally take a breath

now it's time for you to rest

you can feel it in your bones

now you are home

now you are home

remember me?

I used to live here 

a long time ago

gone is the life

that I used to know

20 years in prison

is a long, long time

especially when you

have committed no crime

can you point me the way

to South 21st

I never will know

if it's a blessing or curse

to start completely over

to finally be free

all I know is prison

got the best of me

you don't need to worry

I'm a peaceful man now

I could use all the help

anyone could allow

I got on this greyhound

destination unknown

threw me to the side and said

"now you are home"

I need no revenge

I just want some peace

some logic behind

my well worn beliefs

my body is tired

I've been put to the test

I need a minute to pull it together

but now I must rest

my memory

I remember every mistake that I've ever made

every moment I've wasted on my life on earth

this is why my memory can't be trusted

my memory doesn't know that I have worth

sick again

I'm sick again. Had a temperature yesterday, went to the doctor, life is overwhelming. Feel a little

today, though, as long as I don't do much.