Another call to arms
In the never-ending war
Between the voices in your head
And the noise outside your door
A shooting star that flares
Across a midnight sky
Makes a fading mark
That leaves us asking why
Why the moon commands the ocean waves
That break upon the shore
To rise & fall
Rise & fall forever more
Can you hear tomorrow coming?
Can you see how bright it shines?
Can you ride the wild wind beyond the tide of times?
The tide of times
Clock hands keep on moving
Only run one way
It’s all downhill from here kid
An’ goes faster every day
Stealing from tomorrow
To pay your bills today
But it’s not your table, not your house
And not your cards to play
While you’re caught up in your games
Mother Nature’s keepin’ score
She comes & goes
Comes & goes forever more
Like a pilgrim
Wandering the world
So far from home
Yet deeper down inside
And he says, “Fear is like a prison
But hope can set you free
To hold your own against the rising tide”
Some days the pain is just a little too much
There’s ways to say, hey – enough is enough
With the weight of the world bearin’ down on you
I’ll tell you what you gotta do
You gotta learn to let go
You got a right to say no
You gotta make up your mind
& leave the baggage behind
You gotta learn to let go
Some beds you make and some’ll make you
Some hands you fold & some ya play through
Ya gotta roll sometimes when faith goes blind
Steppin’ out over the line
Oh you can stick to your guns until the ammo’s gone
Or pack it in & move along – move it along
One time an old friend said to me
There’s no such thing as destiny
Only question is, when you get knocked down
Can ya bounce back up for another round?
Bounce up – baby, bounce up
They say the race can’t be won ‘til you’ve had a little run o’ bad luck
So don’t you let it get you down, just turn it all around & bounce up
One day my buddy was talkin’ trash
Mouth writin’ checks he could never cash
I said – hey brother – now you’re talkin’ so cheap
Why you wanna dig a dirty hole so deep?
Bounce up … etc. (faced a little run)
Ohh, skies’ll fall, markets crash
So hard & fast you get whiplash
We’re losin’ faith in church & state
And lawyers who negotiate
Just when I think we’ll never sink
Beyond this all-time low
I recall the best direction left to go – oh!
Bounce up – c’mon & bounce up
Now, I watch this whole world fall apart
Goin’ straight to hell in an old handcart
And y’know I’ve seen Lucifer turnin’ his tricks
With his tell-tale signs of the Apocalypse
But I don’t freak out and I don’t give in
I‘m offerin’ my two cents, my friend
When we hit rock bottom
The only way to go, oh
Bounce up – baby, bounce up
You’ll never know what can be done
Until you try to overcome yer bad luck
So don’t you let it get you down
You gotta turn it all around & you bounce right up
It’s always one thing or another but my soul is made of rubber
So I bounce back up
Don’t ever let it get you down
Gotta turn it all around & bounce up
yeah, yeah
Some folks love to build walls outta fear
No stranger’s ever gonna get from there to here, whoa
me, I like a wide open high road
jus’ to keep my conscience clear
Ev’ry river runs out to the sea
& each drop of rain fulfills its destiny
I feel a wave o’ somethin’ righteous come & wash on over me
This world is wide – and it takes all kinds
Combines amazing plans & crazy grand designs, oh, oh,
Sometimes hope & chance aligns an’ it favours open minds
The world is wide an’ it takes all kinds
There will come a time you play the fool
& that beaten track is gonna lead you on back to school
Where you can pray a twist o’ fate
Upholds the golden rule
Here’s the deal – you play the hand you get
Ya can’t beat the house, nobody’s ever done it yet
But it’s the only game in town
& so you might as well place your bet
Bodies set in motion
Planets spin through space
The dancer knows each movement shows
A measure of good faith
The story of your life
Can’t be written in the dark
You need a fire lighting up your heart
And so it goes
In each line that you compose
A book that no one else could write
The story of your life
The sparrow sings, a river runs
Their nature cannot wait
Wisdom knows each moment holds
A measure of good faith
The story of your life could turn
On any choice you make
A search for truth in every step you take
And on it goes
In each line that you compose
The book that no one else can write
A story of your life
You get one ride through this mystery
Into the great unknown
One plot that twists & turns along the road
That leads you home
And so it goes
All the lines that you compose
The gray that lies between the black & white
The questions of a long dark night
Answers in the morning light
The book that no one else can write
The story of your life
A guitarist who hails from The Six
Spends his life turning musical tricks
When he gets writer’s block, he says “Happens a lot –
Never mind – I’ll just rhyme limericks”
You see … Life can be stranger than fiction
Riddled with odd contradiction
& most of the time, there’s no reason or rhyme
Yet one’s head gets chock full of conviction
(Yes, a head gets chock full & then all of a sudden …)
A chorus comes rollin’ up strong
A catchy crowd-pleaser that blurs right & wrong
As a beer-kegger choir of drunks sing along
And rejoice in The Limerick Song
Now we’re … Into the tune’s second verse
Where the plot goes from bad to much worse
Writing lim’ricks sucks – it’s a nightmare deluxe
Such a cruel and unusual curse
(Yes, a terrible curse goes from bad to much worse)
Ah, but then the refrain reappears
And the crowd meets & greets it with bold lusty cheers
Smiling & happily singing along
to the strains of The Limerick Song.
While the joker who scribbled this ditty
Thought it ever so clever & witty
But the concept was weak – & the sentiments cheap
Now the whole thing comes off kinda shitty
Funny, how novelty wears thin so quickly …
But then the chorus deserves one last try
As the rules of show business surely apply
So a third-act finale comes waltzing along
As we cap off The Limerick Song
Yes let’s wrap it up quick and give thanks that it’s gone
So bye bye, au revoir, adios, farewell and so long
Cheerio and godspeed to The Limerick Song