Death Canoe Everybody comes Everybody goes Everybody comes and goes First the fire’s bright and then burns down low And then turns to black ash coal I’ve been here for thirty years and it’s blown away like smoke Maybe I’ll make it fifty more before that ash is bone Loon calls echoes through the night until the sound is gone While pinprick stars shine in the sky It’s endless on and on Everybody comes Everybody goes Everybody comes and goes First the fire’s bright and then burns down low And then turns to black ash coal It’s all so old It’s all so old It’s so old Beaver’s teeth cut through the pine and dam that raging stream Lightning cracks through the night, that’s wild electricity The fire that eats the woods renews with fertile soil Circle it starts again With the new growth forest Everybody comes Everybody goes Everybody comes and goes First the fire’s bright and then burns down low And then turns to black ash coal It’s all so old It’s all so old It’s so old

Fire in the Cold Poltergeist Sherpas are carrying my baggage up mountains in my contemplative mind Thoughts how they haunt me they’re growing in volume like a rushing river in rain in springtime And that field of dead dandelions Has blown all it’s hair to the wind And just like those flowers I know I will never be the same again Red leaves are falling detaching from branches They are filling my cup from half empty to full The cup now it teeters on the highest Teton and if I’m not careful I’m sure it will spill And that rock that sleeps in the river has worn off its wrinkles with time And just like that boulder I dream of smoothing out mine Because it’s all that I’ve left behind Missed moments and regrets in this tapestry of time And I know I’m supposed to grow But it still burns like fire in the cold Yes it burns like fire in the cold Sun it is sinking Into water that’s drinking It’s nuclear fire and snuffing it out A smattering of colors Red yellow bright oranges Fade out of the sky into night filled with doubt And the stars that fill in the void Shine their light from the ancient past And just like those light rays I know we are not meant to last Waves they are crashing upon a new shoreline They herald a storm that will rock the whole sea And a tiny ship that rides upon the ocean That will be shattered to bits with its cargo set free And all of those big wooden boxes Carrying thoughts from an earlier time Will either be flotsam or sunken treasure to find Because it’s all that I’ve left behind Missed moments and regrets in this tapestry of time And I know I’m supposed to grow But it still burns like fire in the cold Yes it burns like fire in the cold Snow is now sliding Down a mountain valley It’s wiping its face of a thousand old trees Now that blank rock face is a frozen graveyard Filled with fallen wooden debris But there is a young pine sapling She’s peeking her head through the snow And in those fine branches I can see a new life grow

Dig It (The Ballad of John Root) John Root was a man who lived in the city but worked in a concrete box Had a nice little house with a wife cat and dog that sat proudly on the block John and his wife worked everyday until their bones were numb Did all their cooking in the microwave and they never saw the sun Well old John Root thought his old routine was getting mighty old Felt it unnatural wearing down his very soul And all the food he ate tasted like the plastic it came in So one day he didn't show up to work he went out to his shed instead He grabbed his rake and he grabbed his hoe and grabbed his shovel, and don't you know? He dug the lawn and he turned the earth and the worms helped for what it's worth And all John's neighbors asked him, “Man why you tearin' up your lawn?” He turned towards them with a crazy grin and said, “I'm startin' an urban farm” I'm gonna' dig a little earth and run my toes through it Spread a couple seeds, and let the water flow Let a little sunlight in And watch my garden grow I really dig it man Well John's wife came home from work and gave a little shriek Her hubby was covered from head to toe in dirt and looked kind of like a freak Their yard was divided into rows with sprinkler connected to a hose She said, “John my darlin' what have you done? Where our lawn once was now there is none” (now there’s none) John said, “Right where you’re standin' three sisters; corn, squash and beans And In those rows over there broccoli, kale and collard greens I got your rutabaga, got your beets and your favorite brussels sprouts And for a little bit of protein pretty baby there's a chicken coop behind the house” Well, John's wife was taken aback and didn't know quite what to think Though she really loved idea of fresh fruit and veggies to eat and drink So she took off her suit coat and hung it on the front hedge Picked up the nearest hoe and she made this little pledge she said I'm gonna' dig a little earth and run my toes through it Spread a couple seeds, let the water flow Let a little sunlight in And watch our garden grow I really dig it man Soon all the kids in the hood became quite intrigued Their little minds watched as those rows of dirt turned into colorful greenery The plants sprouted flowers that turned into food all from those tiny seeds Soon the little tykes lined up in the front yard asking, “John will you teach us please?” Well John and his wife said, “Sure kids first you'll learn to weed Then spread a little compost round the roots and give the chickens feed.” Green thumbs were created and those tykes turned into teens And instead of new graffiti on the fences they were tagging with sunflower seeds Well that's the ballad of John Root and his crazy little dream To start a farm in the city making things pretty, a little more green There are flowers in the vacant lots and grapevines climbing trees So if you're ever feeling down and out, perhaps an urban farm is what you need Go on and Dig a little earth and run your toes through it Spread a couple seeds and let the water flow Let a little sunlight in And watch your garden grow Just go and dig it man

Our Country A darkness has been sown In our backyards, in our backyards Isolation’s taken root Stretches to the stars, stretches to the stars And these fences between neighbors they have grown Sitting in the dark staring at our screens all alone We have all swallowed More than just one pill, more than just one pill This lack of community It makes us ill, it makes us ill Because our new god is money that isn’t real Because nothing we can buy can teach you how to feel Now our children are shot down Where they learn to read, where they learn to read Sensationalized by the news On our TV screens, on our TV screens And instead of talking solutions reasonably I’ll point my finger at you and you’ll point yours right back at me I don’t want to read your words I want to hear your voice, I want to hear your voice I don’t want to touch more keys I want you to reach and grab hold of me Because I think that if we all just learned to dance In a circle through our lives we could build a love that lasts It’s our country It’s our country It’s our country It’s our country From the rich to the poor To the left to the right To the child that cries out for love in the night It’s our country It’s our country I don’t believe that we should have to settle I don’t believe that this is all there is I’ll keep fighting maybe we’ll meet in the middle If nothing else let’s do it for the kids If nothing else let’s do it for the kids

Tag Along If you tag along you know we’ll surely be friends If you’ve had too much you know we’re drinking again If all my life’s alone And I don’t have a home And all my words are wrong And I can’t sing a song Then heaven help me If you tag along you know we’ll surely be friends If you cough too much you know we’re smoking again If all my life’s alone And I don’t have a home And all my words are wrong And I can’t sing a song Then heaven help me If you tag along you know we’ll surely be friends If you laugh too much then you know we're livin' again If all my life’s alone And I don’t have a home And all my words are wrong And I can’t sing a song Then heaven help me

All I Can Say When that cold dark wind comes rasping at my door I hope I am the same man that I am and was before That I meet that day with a bravery that was forged All the days I walked alone All the days I walked alone Just one last trip home prayed the captain to his lord I want to see my wife’s pretty face, watch my child grow old Well the sky just cracked thunder and his ship crashed on shoal Now that captain is just a legend of old Now that captain is just a legend of old Because one man’s named faith, while the other doesn’t believe One man prays for change while the other takes the lead Which man is right is not for me to decree All I can say is a helping hand is worth more than a prayer for those in need All I can say is a helping hand is worth more than a prayer for those in need So when that cold dark wind comes rasping at my door I hope I am the same man that I am and was before That I meet that day with the bravery that was forged All the days I walked alone All the days I walked alone Because a good life, a good life is all that we can hope for A good life, a good life is all that we can hope for A good life, a good life is all that we can hope for A good life, a good life is all that we need Before we sail away