Best Friends

Bobby Lee and me
We grew up together.
We were always the best of friends.
Swore our kinship in blood,
Fought the world side by side
Never thinking our friendship would end.
Taught to love God and country;
They were worth fighting for.
So, we joined up together,
Headed off to war.
Made the best of all the worst times
And finally made it back home.

But through it all, 
No matter how hard the fall,
If we needed someone to lean on
We knew just who we could call,
One who’d be there til the end,
‘Cause we were best friends.

Carried each other through thick and thin.
Marched all the way through Hell
And made it back again.
Now I have to carry him one last time
And go it alone.
Ashes to ashes, back to Mother Earth.
Praying for angels to kindle rebirth,
Lost in the memory
As I carry him home.

But through it all, 
No matter how hard the fall,
If we needed someone to lean on
We knew just who we could call,
One who’d be there til the end,
‘Cause we were best friends.

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Horizons

I always check horizons
To see what lies ahead,
Trying hard to be prepared
Just like my Daddy said.
You can’t know the future
But the pathway can be clear.
Keep your eyes on the horizon,
Face tomorrow without fear.

You can let your guard down,
Let your worries take control,
Face the day with blinders,
Let the devil have your soul,
Or you can make your mind up
To control your destiny.
Keep your eyes on the horizon
And set your spirit free.

There may be trouble up ahead,
It seems to be that way.
Simple doubts that block the sun
And turn blue skies to gray.
But I don’t worry ‘cause I know
It will work out in the end.
I’ll keep my eyes on the horizon
Like a trusted, faithful friend.

You can let your guard down,
Let your worries take control,
Face the day with blinders,
Let the devil have your soul,
Or you can make your mind up
To control your destiny.
Keep your eyes on the horizon
And set your spirit free.

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Table for Two

I’d been dining so long at a table for one
From the first signs of daylight til way past the setting sun.
But my heart opened wide the day I met you.
Now the rest of our lives we can dine at
A table for two.

Small talk and wine
And the music so fine
As the lights fade to amber and blue.
Dessert will taste sweeter.
Everything’s better
At a table for two.

We were both standing and waiting alone in a crowd,
Silently wondering, but never saying out loud.
We took a chance on each other and our friendship grew.
Now we’ll spend the rest of our lives
At a table for two.

Small talk and wine
And the music so fine
As the lights fade to amber and blue.
Dessert will taste sweeter.
Everything’s better
At a table for two.

Made for each other, the fates have been kind.
I spend my days with nothing but you on my mind,
Cherishing every moment that I spend with you.
Waiting to get back and share
Our table for two.

Small talk and wine
And the music so fine
As the lights fade to amber and blue.
Dessert will taste sweeter.
Everything’s better
At a table for two. 

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Waiting Around

I’ve been waiting around for someone like you,
Someone who can lift me up
And make me feel brand new.
It makes me thank the man above
For the love that I’ve found,
Lets me know that it’s all worthwhile
Waiting around.

You travel many a circle looking for love,
Trying hard to discover
The one you’re dreaming of.
You kiss some frogs, you kiss some fools,
Sometimes you feel like a clown.
So you take all your wounded pride
And keep waiting around.

Blessings fall to the one who patiently waits;
The one who dares to take a chance
And leaves it all to fate.
When the one who was meant to be
Lifts you up off the ground,
Gives you joy that you never knew while you were
Waiting around.

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One Red Rose

They say sometimes less is more
When you’re trying to express
To the one that you adore
How she brings you happiness.
Your eyes tell me there’s no need for words
To tell you how the feeling grows.
A sip of wine, a single kiss
And one red rose.

A rose of passion,
A rose of trust,
Deep with emotion
With a touch of lust,
Filled with secrets
Only your heart knows.
I can say it all
With one red rose.

I used to think that to win at love
I had to give you lavish gifts,
Expensive jewelry, fancy clothes
Meant to make your spirits lift.
Now I see it’s the simple things
That let you know why my love grows,
Like the words of a sweet love song
And one red rose.

A rose of passion,
A rose of trust,
Deep with emotion
With a touch of lust,
Filled with secrets
Only your heart knows.
I can say it all
With one red rose.

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Makes Me Crazy

Makes me crazy.
Makes me cry.
Leaves me searching
For a reason why.
You left me without a single word,
Never said goodbye.
Is it any wonder loving you
Makes me crazy.

I never thought that this could happen
Even  in my wildest dreams.
Guess it only goes to show
Things aren’t always as they seem.
I was blind to your unhappiness
Cause you kept it all inside
Until the feeling that you used to have
For our love slowly died.

And it makes me crazy.
Makes me cry.
Leaves me searching
For a reason why.
You left me without a single word,
Never said goodbye.
Is it any wonder loving you
Makes me crazy.

I can only hope that you
Will somehow find a way,
Find forgiveness in your heart
And come back home to me someday.
I can’t even bear the thought
Of living without you.
It makes me crazy.
Can’t you feel it, too?

And it makes me crazy….

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The Box

It was so lovely,
The wrappings and ribbons,
A gift for no reason
Right out of the blue.
Inside the box,
My greatest possession,
A genuine token of My love for you.
It’s only a ring with one tiny diamond,
The one that my grandmother wore. 
I know that she’d want it to rest on your finger
To show the whole world you’re the one I adore.

You were so gentle unwrapping your treasure,
So patient in claiming your prize.
You opened the box, holding your breath,
I could see tears welling up in your eyes.
Then in an instant I’m down on one knee
Asking the question you knew.
You answered softly, without hesitation,
“Yes, Darling, I’ll marry you.”

A sweet precious memory from so long ago
And the years have been wondrous since then.
To think it all started with one tiny box
Makes me wish we could live it all over again.

It was so lovely,
The wrappings and ribbons,
A gift for no reason
Right out of the blue….

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Pray for Rain

Pray for rain
So no one sees these tears.
Hide the pain that’s been building up
For so many years.
Loose the chains around my heart 
As I slowly go insane, as you’re
Leaving me alone to pray for rain 

You didn’t even bat an eye
When you broke my heart in two.
You said it was over and
You found somebody new. 
I guess that I could argue, but
There’s nothing left to gain.
So I’ll just sit right here and wait
And pray for rain.

Someday I’ll get over you.
Someday I’ll move on,
Get used to being all alone and
Realize you’re really gone.
I may even find someone
To help me ease the pain.
Until then I’ll just sit
And pray for rain.

Pray for rain
So no one sees these tears.
Hide the pain that’s been building up
For so many years.
Loose the chains around my heart
As I slowly go insane, as you’re
Leaving me alone to pray for rain.

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Playing with Fire

It’s a game that we play with each other
Where silence can cover our eyes,
Where truth dwells in shadows, secrets abound,
And reality wears a disguise.
We both perform with no net below us
As we prance across the high wire.
Never a thought about our tragic ending,
We both know we’re playing with fire.

Playing with fire…
          The flames growing stronger.
Playing with fire…
          The song never ends.
Filled with desire
          And fueled by a hunger
Til the truth disappears in the wind
While we’re playing with fire.

Can’t say just when it all started,
When we began telling these lies.
But it’s left us both broken-hearted
With neither one taking the prize.
But that doesn’t stop us from singing,
Pleading our case to the choir,
But it doesn’t help because we both know
That we’re only playing with fire.

Playing with fire…
          The flames growing stronger.
Playing with fire…
          The song never ends.
Filled with desire
          And fueled by a hunger
Til the truth disappears in the wind
While we’re playing with fire.

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Run Away

After all this time together
I believe that we’re worth fighting for,
But you can’t stay to talk it out.
You just shut down and walk right out the door.
I tried so hard to make you see
The million-and-one reasons you should stay,
But your ears won’t listen to the truth,
You just take your foolish pride and run away.

You can run but you can’t hide
Because you know down deep inside
The simple truth that you and I are one.
We can’t change our destiny
Even though we don’t agree and
I say things that put you on the run.

I know you didn’t mean it when
You said you couldn’t take it anymore.
You’ll be back to work it out
Just like we did a hundred times before. 
But every time feels different
And every time I just hope and pray 
That it won’t be the last time
The next time that you up and run away.

You know I couldn’t help it
When I told you it was over,
It’s just a chess piece in this game we play.
But you’ve been gone so long this time
I can’t help but wonder
If this time is forever and a day,
And this time is the last time
That you run away.

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Telling Lies

Never want to hurt the feelings of
The one for whom you really care.
Secrets become commonplace,
Filling spaces everywhere.
But secrets are a prelude to
A life of compromise
Where truth succumbs to a whole new world
Of telling lies.

Telling lies to spare your feelings,
Telling lies to hide my shame,
Trying hard to find excuses
‘Cause I just can’t stand to share the blame.
I don’t want to be the villain
Or look guilty in your eyes,
But there’s no excuse that makes it right
When we start telling lies.

You were always true to me,
Never had a wandering eye.
You deserve much better
Than some made-up wayward alibi.
Only now, as you walk away,
I finally realize
That I have to pay the price for telling lies.

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Pass the Biscuits, Please

I remember growing up,
Sundays after church was done,
Chicken dinner on the table,
Momma with her apron on.
Offered up, a silent prayer,
As we passed around the black-eyed peas,
Silence broken when someone said,
“Pass the biscuits, Please.”

Daddy cursed the coffee stain
On his favorite shirt.
All the boys can’t wait to go
Play some baseball in the dirt.
But Mom insisted we take our time
Before everybody leaves. She said,
“Let’s enjoy a little conversation,
So, pass the biscuits please.”

Preacher says that “to be a family
Is such a precious thing,
The kind of gift that will lift you up
And make your spirit sing.”
I thank the Lord for the things I’ve got
Each night on bended knees,
And Momma’s sweet love in these four words,
“Pass the biscuits, Please.”

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Beautiful Girl

Beautiful girl,
You make my spirit rise.
You’re my whole world.
Can’t you see it in my eyes?
There’s an aura hanging over you
That lets me know your love is true,
Tells me this is how it’s meant to be,
That you always will be beautiful to me.

You captured my heart,
Nothing left to hide.
I saw from the start
The beauty deep inside.
Like the innocence of a child,
Ever-present in your smile,
And time may fade what my poor eyes may see,
But you always will be beautiful to me.

Beautiful girl,
Nothing left to say.
My love for you
Growing stronger every day.
And I try to show you how I feel,
But my simple words just can’t reveal,
And a lifetime isn’t near enough to see
How you always will be beautiful to me.

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Can’t Stay Away

Can’t stay away,
Though people tell me you’ll just break my heart.
I come back anyway.
I feel so lost alone when we’re apart.
I can’t feel.
I can’t sleep.
You are constant on my mind.
So I wait patiently
Looking for some special sign.
Just as long as there’s hope
Deep down in my heart
I just can’t stay away.

I thought forevermore was just a game
Played by simple fools with nothing left to lose,
But now nothing seems to be the same.
My world has changed so much since I met you.

What’s come over me?
I used to be so cavalier when it came to love,
Play the field and never fear about breaking up.
Then we met
And I fell,
And it never was the same.
I get weak,
Can’t resist
At the mention of your name,
And I know it’s no use,
I come back because
I just can’t stay away.

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Color Me Gone

Life’s filled with colors of bright red and green.
You were the brightest that I’d ever seen.
But colors have faded since you did me wrong, 
So, you can just color me gone.

Color me gone.
Deep hues all faded to gray,
Falling like shadows at the end of the day.
Lost in the words of a sad country song,
A canvas of color me gone.

Sunrise was colored with twelve shades of red,
A pallet of passion that danced through my head.
I don’t know if you meant to string me along,
But now you can color me gone.

Color me gone.
Deep hues all faded to gray,
Falling like shadows at the end of the day.
Lost in the words of a sad country song,
A canvas of color me gone.

There may be someone who’ll fall for your lies,
Who won’t see the green in your jealous eyes.
But I’ll be much better off here on my own,
So you can just color me gone.

Color me gone.
Deep hues all faded to gray,
Falling like shadows at the end of the day.
Lost in the words of a sad country song,
A canvas of color me gone.

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Breaking Away

Trapped in a cycle of heartache and tears,
Cautioned by voices that no one else hears,
Tempted to leave, but longing to stay.
Am I better off breaking away?

Breaking away from the sorrow,
Into the light,
A brand new direction to make it all right.
Finding the freedom to face a new day.
It all starts with breaking away.

Most folks don’t notice the rut that they’re in.
They travel in circles, no chance to win.
They never consider the price that they pay
For the freedom of breaking away.

Breaking away from the sorrow,
Into the light,
A brand new direction to make it all right.
Finding the freedom to face a new day.
It all starts with breaking away.

I hope you’ll be happy, know you’ll be fine
When I’m not around to play on your mind.
But I have to shake all these dark shades of gray.
That’s why I’m breaking away.

Breaking away from the sorrow,
Into the light,
A brand new direction to make it all right.
Finding the freedom to face a new day.
It all starts with breaking away.

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Maybe You’re Right

You say there’s a reason,
A simple change of season,
For everything that happens in our lives.
No such thing as simple chance,
It’s all determined in advance
And we can see the truth if hope survives.

But I find it hard to understand
That we’re just playing out our hand,
And there’s no way for us to win the fight.
So, I just keep it in my head,
The million things you might have said.
You may be wrong, but then, maybe you’re right.

You know I’ve been a player,
A yes-man and naysayer,
Witnessed every kindness known to man.
Known the hurt of leaving,
Felt the pain of grieving.
Hard to think that it’s all in His plan.

But you keep saying you believe
That everything is pre-conceived,
The story written down in black and white.
You believe it’s all foretold, but
I keep longing for control.
You may be wrong, but then, maybe you’re right.

If there are choices to be made,
You know I’ll face them unafraid.
I won’t hesitate to stand and fight.
Those words that echo in my ear
Will help to chase away the fear,
Knowing that you may be wrong,
But then,
Maybe you’re right.

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Don’t Wait Up

I’ve been working these poor bones
Til past the setting sun.
Can’t deny I’m overdue to go out for a little fun.
I’d ask you to come along
But you’d think it’s corrupt, so
I’ll say goodnight and tell you, “Don’t wait up.”

Don’t wait up. I’ll be home late.
I’m going out tonight.
Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine.
I’m going where the lights are bright.
Dancing, singing off the wall,
Hanging out until last call,
Laughing til it hurts, so, don’t wait up.

It’s just a little honky-tonk
Where friends all gather round
To laugh and have a drink or three
Where no one tries to put you down.
I’ll be drinking kindness from
A never-empty cup until
They turn the lights out, so don’t wait up.

Don’t wait up. I’ll be home late.
I’m going out tonight.
Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine.
I’m going where the lights are bright.
Dancing, singing off the wall,
Hanging out until last call,
Laughing til it hurts, so, don’t wait up. 

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The Portrait

There was a portrait
Used to hang right here,
A prominent place on the wall,
Of an old man 
His face weathered with years,
His dark eyes saying it all. 
I remember the way 
His eyes seemed to follow

As I solemnly walked past his gaze.
It was like he was there
To watch over me
And protect me the rest of my days.

This old house is coming down.
They say it’s not safe.
I guess that it’s probably true.
There’s no one around,
No one left to remember
When it was all shiny and new.
But a house is just walls,
A roof and a floor
Where you can come in from the cold.
It’s the people who live inside her portrait
Who are worth more than silver and gold.

And I think of that portrait
          Where it hangs today
                    Of my guardian angel with wings.
And it fills me with hope
          And joy beyond measure until
          My heart fairly sings
With the peace of mind that portrait brings.

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Wishful Thinking

Turmoil in the Middle-East,
Vain attempts to tame the beast,
Looks like this could go on for a while.
Violence running in the streets
Makes you cautious when you meet a stranger;
Puts you in denial.
When I think of how it used to be
The feelings all come back to me
To comfort me just like a long-lost friend, 
But that restful feeling starts to sink
And I guess it’s wishful thinking 
But I wish that we could be that way again. 

Oh, Lord, take me by the hand. You know
There’s not much I demand.
All I want is a little peace of mind.
And no, I ain’t been drinking,
Just a little wishful thinking
And a prayer to leave my troubles all behind.

I think about the innocents trapped behind coincidence,
Victims of the times in which they live.
And those who have more than they need,
Who cheat and hide behind their greed
When they’re the ones who have so much to give.
Why, dear Lord, won’t they relent,
Bend a little and repent,
Give up some of their ill-gotten gain.
I guess it’s just a fantasy
How these thoughts seem to come to me
And flood my mind like some torrential rain.

Oh, Lord, take me by the hand. You know
There’s not much I demand.
All I want is a little peace of mind.
And no, I ain’t been drinking,
Just a little wishful thinking
And a prayer to leave my troubles all behind. 

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Going Back to Oz

I thought that all those little people
Really did exist; the ones who cared
To help along the way. .
And I thought I had some close friends to
Stick by through thick and thin.
Now I’m left with just one thing to say.

I’m going back to Oz,
If only in my mind;
A simple place where my poor heart
Won’t get left behind. I’ll take
That winding road to happiness
Where I can freely roam
To where the answer waits
To find my way back home.

If only I had half a brain
Or a heart made out of tin,
I’d maybe find the courage
To face the world again.
If I can find the magic
That lies deep inside of me, 
Then maybe I can make my dreams 
Become reality.

So, I’m going back to Oz,
If only in my mind;
A simple place where my poor heart
Won’t get left behind. I’ll take
That winding road to happiness
Where I can freely roam
To where the answer waits
To find my way back home.

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A Fool Like Me

A fool like me is always hanging ‘round.
A fool like me
Is used to scraping his heart off the ground.
I spend my life
Just waiting for your tender company,
But you would never think to love a fool like me.

I tried so hard to fit in with your friends,
To play their game
Of broken hearts where no one ever wins.
But they just laughed
And set me up in their sad company.
Their world had no room for
A simple fool like me.

A fool like me is always hanging ‘round.
A fool like me
Is used to scraping his heart off the ground.
I spend my life
Just waiting for your tender company,
But you would never think to love a fool like me.

I can’t give up.
The stakes are way too high.
You fill my soul
With feelings that my poor heart can’t deny.
I’ll take my chances
You’ll come around and someday you will see
That you can finally learn to love
A fool like me.

A fool like me is always hanging ‘round,
And hoping someday you can love a fool like me.

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Let’s Grow Old Together

She said, “Darling, I’ve something to say.
Come sit next to me.”
I sat down with an anxious thought
Wondering what this could be.
Expectations came flooding in
With a feeling akin to dread.
But amazement soon took over
At the words that she said.

“Let’s grow old together.
Let’s take a vow.
Let me hold your hand and walk by your side
And show them all how
We belong to another world
Made for lovers and friends
Where the fires continue to grow
And love never ends.”

I couldn’t help but feel relieved
And a little surprised.
So, I took her hand in mine
And looked into her eyes.
I said, “Baby, don’t you know?
That’s just what I intend to do.
Gonna spend my lifetime making
Sweet love to you.”

Let’s grow old together.
Let’s take a vow.
Let me hold your hand and walk by your side
And show them all how
We belong to another world
Made for lovers and friends
Where the fires continue to grow
And love never ends.

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