my best

today there are possibilities
that I won't even see
the wonders of the world
are there in front of me
but I am so sad
I can't even see them
those good words you tell me
I just can't believe them
so what can I do?
life's put me to the test
maybe all I can do
is to just do my best

I'm part of the fuckin' problem

I don't know what I'm gonna do, man. I don't want to do anything. The world -- the country -- is on fire and I'm not doing anything about it. I'm here at home under isolation because of COVID-19. I feel tremendously guilty. I know I should be out at a protest, but I don't know if it's wise to go. And even if I don't to a protest...well, I ain't doing nothing to help anybody. I'm part of the fuckin' problem.

You're being a little hard on yourself, aren't you, farmboy?

I don't know, man. I think about what I can do and there just isn't much. I don't have much money, but I can make small donations.

Have you written any songs about this?

No. I've tried, though, and it seems out of my realm. I don't know what to say. Maybe it's just time to listen and study for a while. That's what I'm feeling like.

I know exactly where I stand on all this stuff, the police brutality, the fuckin' Trump administration, all that shit. We have got to get him and his goons out of there. They're destroying this country. They're destroying human beings. He's got to be voted out.

There's a good chance he will be, considering his failure with the pandemic and...well, his failure in general. 

He's an evil man. That's all I know. And he's like a fuckin' cockroach, the way he doesn't go under.

That's partially because his fellow Republicans are too...how can I put this...

I don't know. They're all, maybe, too cowardly...or maybe they think there's nothing wrong with what he's doing. Or maybe they're just slaves of their stupid political party. Goddamn, I'm just a songwriter. 

You say that like songwriters aren't smart enough to know what's going on.

I know. And that's wrong. I have my opinions and there's no shame in expressing them. I just want to be sure what I'm expressing.

I can't breathe without you

I can't breathe without you
you were my child
you always will be
I can't breathe without you
if you're not here,
there is no me
a father shouldn't have to
bury his child
that's natural fact
the hardest thing is knowing
that nothing
I mean nothing
can bring you back

beyond the TV set

I spend the day online
I have nothing to do
so I spend each day obsessed by
what's happening in the news
and what's happening in the news
give you pause to wonder
I look at my country
and I see it's going under

so I don't make nothing happen
I just stay well-informed
but I never step out of place
I belong in the norm
but that kind of normal does nothing
no problem does it solved
but it still don't matter to me
I'd rather not get involved

          I keep waiting for good news to happen
          but it hasn't happened yet
          at least in the world that one sees
          beyond the TV set

worthy of you

I'm not confused
I'm just looking around
I want to be of service
but all of these
untrusted faces
they all make me nervous
I'm trying to do the best I can
in this mess that was made by man
what can I do
I just want to be worthy of you

my country is
torn between two sides
God knows it could use improving
our so-called leaders
have sold us out
most of them need removing
I'm doing the best that I can do
but I'm don't know if I can make it through
what can I do
I just want to be worthy of you

today's news

the stakes are rising
and I have no solution
except: stop killing

city on fire

my city is on fire tonight
I am safe inside my house
I've had the TV on
but this I can't figure out
there's a war downtown
police in and sides are drawn
you better be safe and sound
you better know which side you're on
my city is on fire tonight