If only you knew
Spent a day in my shoes
Then you’d have a clue
Of what I say and do
It’s a valuable lesson
One you can’t learn in books
It’s real and it’s vivid
And it’s swarming with crooks
So you must stay evasive
Put on a mask, a disguise
So that you’re invisible
From God’s prying eyes
Let’s go, let’s move on
That’s just how it goes
Weighing my options
The cons and the pros
In hopes I find balance
From the highs and the lows
I’m not too embarrassed
To leave myself exposed
Exposed to the hatred
To the critics, the judge
And still, I stand tall
Unwilling to budge

Forgive my voice
My trembling lips
As words dribble out my mouth
I do not know of what I say
Or what I talk about
I’m broken into shards of glass
Though the pain has been reduced
By your words, by what they mean
And the way that they are used
You sewed my severed heart strings
You brought life to the mundane
And you filled my heart with happiness
For all the days that still remain

I swam in the monotony
I drowned in waves of sand
That slipped right through my fingers
Of a strong yet poultry hand
I grip from muscle memory
On to anything I can
Then I ripped it from the depths of hell
When I finally took a stand
This is nothing too remarkable
Of this, I understand
But I was just a little boy
That one day became a man

The skies forgotten letters
The moon exposed at night
Bottle after bottle
Of afternoon delight
Frozen in the freezer
Cold, and blue in hand
Dancing with the devil
With my soul in high demand
I played music with my fiddle
Until the sun crept through the trees
Waiting on the skies forgotten letters
To put my mind at ease
I played and won my freedom
My soul was mine to keep
Until the day that I’m no longer
And the reaper comes to reap

I take cover under shelter
I cower at the sight
I’ve seen too much brutality
Every day that turns to night
It’s a forgone conclusion
There’s evil on these streets
You’ve got to be suspicious
Of everyone you meet
The Devil walks amongst us
He’s draped in purple sheets
Tapping on the pavement
The ground beneath our feet
He speaks of tales and folklore
He’s a thorn that rides a rose
That ****** your tender finger
When you’re vulnerable; exposed
Take heed and hear my warning
Don’t be put under a spell
Because he’s got your reservation
For your seat way down in hell

I’ll paint you different colors
Until all you see is red
I’ll allow you conversation
With the voices in my head
They’ll tell you you should ditch me
About all the tears and times I’ve bled
But nothing can compare with the words you never said
The words you never uttered
To the journey you once led
Now all you are is a dream to me
As I lie awake in bed

I had an urge to soar
When I opened the front door
I needed to explore
The world and all it’s lore
The things I’ve heard
And have not yet seen
If only on the TV screen
All the things imagined
Asleep and in my dreams
All the colors of the rainbow
Purple, red, blue and green
Things aren’t how I thought they’d be
Two for you and one for me
And now I see the hypocrisy
So close your eyes, inhale and breathe