clean house

it's time to clean house

the one in my mind

heaven only knows

just what I will find

there's dust in the corners

there's dirt on the floor

it's become such a mess

it's hard to ignore

I see I have cobwebs

where hope used to be

I see I have bitterness

inside of me

I must get to cleaning

a pail and a mop

but it just gets messier

and it just won't stop

so I will use elbow grease

scrub as hard as I can

why it doesn't get cleaner

I don't understand

maybe I need a doctor

maybe I need a shrink

maybe I just need

a little silence to think

but still I keep cleaning

that's all I can do

but how do you get rid of

the pain inside you?

it's all needless rubbish

that I should leave behind

it's time to clean house

and save what is mine

on trial

there is nothing to stop me

that's what I say

as I stumble through life

every single day

I struggle and strive

still I come up short

I alone am on trial

and you are the court

"guilty" you tell me

and I sadly listen

to the words that control me

I have no permission 

to be the person

I once thought I'd be

now there's nobody who'll

pay attention to me

tell me my sentence

give me a sign

that life will go on

and I won't be left behind

this is my longing

to you I will plead

gaining my innocence

is all that I need

a story worth telling (rewrite 1)

if I could write an honest word

here's what I would do

I'd put my thoughts to music

and play them all to you

something new, something blue

something true and compelling

a olive branch to hold on to

a story worth telling

everyday's another day

with clocks a-ticking faster

for life to take another dream

and put it out to pasture

I have no wisdom to depart 

there's nothing here worth selling

all I have is this life and I hope

it's a story worth telling

and so I'll say goodbye to you

see you further up the road

and if you still remember me

I'll tell you all I've known

about a place inside my mind

somewhere where dreams are dwelling

all my hopes belong in there

a story worth telling

a story worth telling

if I could write an honest word

that's what I would do

put my feelings on paper

and mail them off to you

something new, something blue

honest and compelling

a olive branch to hold on to

a story worth telling

everyday's another day

with clocks ticking faster

another time to take some dreams

and put them out to pasture

I have no wisdom to depart to you

I have nothing worth selling

all I have is this life I live

and hope it's a story worth telling

and so I'll say goodbye to you

see you further up the road

and if you still remember me

I'll tell you all I've known

about a place I call my own

a single, simple dwelling

all my hopes belong in there

they're all a story worth telling

another day, another hangover

another day

another hangover

every day is the same

I am sick and tired

of always bearing the blame

of all my mistakes

of all I've done wrong

somehow me and my brain

refuse to get along

and I am left here

hanging my head in shame

another day

another hangover

every day is the same

you'd think I

would learn my lesson

but the answer's always no

everyday I think about

how far down I have to go

maybe I'm in trouble

maybe I don't have what it takes

maybe I'll never try

to learn from my mistakes

from the top of the mountain

to the valley far below

you'd think I

would learn my leson

but the answer's always no

Senegal

I always wanted to go to Senegal

to hear the music

and rest my weary bones

in Senegal I would find a way

to make these sounds

into my new home

but I never moved from my country

I stayed where I thought I belonged

so I never heard in person

the sound of my Senegalese song

so where do I go now?

what do I do?

stay in a place

that I always knew

where the days pass like racecars

they go by so fast

and I am left, hoping

that something will last

still the songs invite me in

and somnetimes I stay

and there I remainon my finest of days 

resolutions

I will be smarter

I won't be as dumb

I will not stay

into what I've become

I will eat vegetables

I will be tough

I will stop thinking

I'm not good enough

I will practice my passion

I will wish for the best

I will take all that's good

and throw out the rest

I will cut down on

my smoking of weed

I will give to others

who are living in need

I will be an observer

I'll keep up with the news

I will be inspired

by whoever I choose

I will do unto others

as they do unto me

and I will be amazed

at the beauty I see

I will not be imprisoned

by the shackles of fear

I will walk with my head up

in this shiny new year

I will work from my heart

and if that's not enough

I will hold on

to the ones that I love

I will be smarter

I won't be as dumb

I will not stay

into what I've become