taborSpace

big old building
brick and wood
middle of the
neighborhood
children playing with outside voices
cheese or pretzels
make your choices
grownups work
away from home
on laptops, tablets,
and iPhones
what they do
I do not know
but this place
is where they go
a big old church
from way before
with a coffeehouse
inside its doors
it's a community
sort of place
in Southeast Portland
taborSpace

a sinner like me

is there still time for salvation
for a sinner like me
who wears his damnation
for all the world to see
is there still a chance for love
for a heartbroken fool
or am I just daydreaming
just the way I did in school

why can't I
ever be satisfied
with all that's put 
in front of me
why is happiness
denied
where is what
I want to see

beautiful corpse

I was supposed to leave a beautiful corpse
well, I guess they fooled me good
before I died I was the pride 
of my musical neighborhood
I had big dreams of rock star fame
sunk in my half-wit mind
and all the while, life was leaving me. 
far, far behind

never mind
it was fun while it lasted
girls and worlds of fun
with reefer and acid
I had big dreams frock star fame
but you can see how that went
now I'm cutting coupons
and selling instruments for rent

my life in a cardboard box

there's a stranger I know named success
who doesn't know my home address
he's never visited, I guess
'cause of the failure I have been
which brings me to now, though I digress
I'm here at work and it's a mess
they got me cleaning out my desk
fact is, I just can't win

          I look down
          in my hands
          I just don't understand
          looking at it gives me a shock
          my life in a cardboard box

there's business cards from business guys
who tried to cut me down to size
the glare of profit in their eyes
now they'll look for someone else
there's the pictures of the kids and wife
the ones I pay for with my life
my excuses, every alibi
the fault lies with myself

          I look down
          in my hands
          I just don't understand
          looking at it gives me a shock
          my life in a cardboard box

accept no substitute

when I write a song,
I don't want to imitate.
it belongs to me.

what I fought for

start the coffee brewing, mama
your soldier's coming home
far from the land of sand and sky
in a world you've never known
I've seen a lot of terrible things
standing in my country's door 
I've seen enough to know
this is not what I fought for

pick up a daily paper
turn on your TV
look up what's going down
in Washington DC
what you see will shake you
down to your human core 
I've seen enough to know
this is not what I fought for

          I fought for freedom
          I fought for our people's sake
          I didn't fight so the rich
          can take all they can take

get the keg a-flowing, brother
maybe it takes a lot of nerve
to criticize the alibis
of the country that I served
I'll speak my truth no matter how
or where I am ignored
I've seen enough to know
this is not what I fought for
          

day off

I'm taking the day off
I'm not gonna do what I should
I'm up to no damn good
I'm taking the day off
I ain't gonna work hard
I'm gonna be free as a breeze
I'm tired of saying pretty please
I'm taking the day off