The part where I walk alone into the night

  The part where some cowboy starts a fight

  The part where I never get my fill

  Put on a fist raising anthem and I’m ready to kill

  Raise your fists

  Raise your voice

  Sometimes they don’t leave you

  With no other choice

  I’m raising my flag

  And I’m waving it proud

  Put on a fist raising anthem

  And I crank it up loud

  And now I’m throwing punches in the air

  Tellin’ all the world that I don’t care

  I don’t wanna fight, but if you push me I will

  Put on a fist raising anthem and I’m ready to kill

  Raise your fists

  Raise your voice

  Sometimes they don’t leave you

  With no other choice

  I’m raising my flag

  And I’m waving it proud

  Put on a fist raising anthem

  And I crank it up loud

  We must always remember to celebrate…the marathon that is life.

  RUN

  Run, Run, Run

  At the sound of the gun

  Row, Row, Row

  Wherever the tides might go

  Give me courage to carry on

  Life is like a marathon

  I’ve got to run to keep from going mad

  Every day is like an Olympiad

  Run for the sun

  Run for the rain

  Run until it stops

  And then you run again

  Run for the glory

  Run for the pain

  Run until you drop

  And then you run again

  Run, Run, Run

  Until the race is won

  Row, Row, Row

  Down the river of the melting snow

  Long distance message from me to you

  I won’t stop running until I’m through

  I’ll carry my torch, my burden, my name

  There’s an inner-strength that feed my flame

  Run for the sun

  Run for the rain

  Run until it stops

  And then you run again

  Run for the glory

  Run for the pain

  Run until you drop

  And then you run again

  Run, Run, Run

  Run, Run, Run

  Better run for your life

  Run, Run, Run

  Run, Run, Run

  Better run for your life

  Do you ever wonder what might happen if all men and women of all races and religions joined forces in a solemn prayer for peace? Could it not happen, could it not be arranged now that we live in this age of world-wide internet communications? Could it really be that simple? I propose that we will surely never know unless we give it a try!

  THE BROTHERHOOD

  Did you ever get to wondering if we’re doing all we can?

  So put down that flaming cross my friend, let’s join a different clan

  I’m tired of all the politicians who talk but never speak

  And then when push finally comes to shove, they play a game of hide and seek

  I’m tired of being a spectator, I’m tired of being a fan

  I know just what I’m a gonna do now, come and listen to my plan

  I’m gonna form a brotherhood

  Storm the brotherhood

  Start a brotherhood

  The brotherhood of man

  … the brotherhood of man

  People killing people, this ain’t how it should be

  Country vs. country, it don’t mean shit to me

  Neighbor vs. neighbor, Hatfield and McCoy’s

  Project vs. project, guns become a toy

  City vs. city, town vs. town

  South don’t like the Northerners, it just goes on and on

  I’m gonna form a brotherhood

  Storm the brotherhood

  Join the brotherhood

  The brotherhood of man

  … the brotherhood of man

  Now they’re joining up in East Berlin, in the fields of Vietnam

  They’re joining up in Russia, in the Square of Tiananmen

  They’re joining up in Pakistan, Iraq is in the fold

  Terrorists and dictators, this war is getting old

  They’re marching in the streets, all around the world

  Human rights here and now, for every boy and girl

  I’m gonna form a brotherhood

  Storm the brotherhood

  Start a brotherhood

  The brotherhood of man

  … the brotherhood of man

  Hey we all like to boast and act tough sometimes (as for me, I prefer to do it with my guitar!).

  REEFER SMOKING, GUITAR PLAYING, MOTHER FUCKIN’ JUNKIE

  I ain’t no doctor, ain’t no pimp

  I ain’t no DJ, don’t walk with no limp

  I’m no ice man and I ain’t no gansta

  I’m no MC and I’m no gang banga

  I’m just a reefer smoking, guitar playing, mother fuckin’ junkie

  I play it slow and I play it low but I play it oh so funky

  I’m twice your age but I ain’t chilling

  My gears might slip but my mind is willing

  I ain’t no heavy, ain’t one of the boyz

  But I can make some funked up noize

  I’m just a reefer smoking, guitar playing, mother fuckin’ junkie

  I play it loud and I play it proud but I play it oh so funky

  Just gimme some time, I can get it on

  Get over here bitch and hit this bong

  Light it up, smoke it down, smoke it right to the bone

  Slide right up, next to me, and feel my Telecaster tone

  I’m just a reefer smoking, guitar playing, mother fuckin’ junkie

  I play it slow and I play it low but I play it oh so funky

  Is it an emptiness in my heart…or have we all just become so damned hollow?

  HOLLOW (DOWN THE ROAD)

  My clothes are wet and my feet are muddy

  My heart is hard and my face is bloody

  My soul is dark and my feet they follow

  Down the road, my heart is hollow

  Must we always be so deaf and dumb?

  Sometimes I think the world’s gone numb

  But a leap of faith, it keeps me going

  Down the road, never knowing

  Whichever way the wind is blowing

  Whatever weight your heart is towing

  Whichever way your boat is rowing

  Down the road, the river’s flowing

  We are lost with no direction

  As we approach the intersection

  Is it to myself I keep on lying?

  But down the road, I keep on trying

  In deep despair we seem to wallow

  Down the road, my heart is hollow

  A truth we cannot seem to swallow

  Down the road, my heart is hollow

  I was so despondent when my dad died that I wasn’t sure whether I could go on any longer. But instead of moping around, I channeled that sorrow and wrote this song in his honor, and believe it or not, somehow I immediately felt better afterwards; it was as if he was shining down from above, listening to my every word.

  I WILL PAVE THE WAY

  When you don’t know where you’re gonna turn

  And it’s hard to see the way

  With all the smoke from the bridges burned

  Confusion ruled the day

  When the road gets rough, just take my hand

  I will pave the way

  When you can’t go on and your world is gone

  I will pave the way

  I will pave the way

  I will pave the way

  Love will save the day

  You know that I will pave the way

  When you’re lost and when you’re searching

&nbs
p; I’ll be the light that guides you

  When the Nazis come to take you

  I’ll be the one that hides you

  I will pave the way

  I will pave the way

  Love will save the day

  You know that I will pave the way

  When the time has come for us to part

  And the afterlife begins

  The journey home is the longest one

  But I will pave the way

  I’ll lead you to the Promised Land

  To the ones who’ve gone before us

  I’ll make this sacrifice for you

  I will pave the way

  I will pave the way

  I will pave the way

  Love will save the day

  You know that I will pave the way

  It’s said that time goes by

  In the blink of an eye

  For no one does it wait

  The tears that you cry

  Become the sky

  When they evaporate

  They’ll leave you blind and reaching out

  Trying to find a way

  That’s when I’ll be there for you

  I will pave the way

  This one is dedicated to all of the guitarists in the world…and to all those lonely nights spent plucking away, trying to master your craft, with no audience in the room; just you and your guitar.

  ME AND MY GUITAR

  I got my guitar in my lap

  But there’s no one here to clap

  There’s no one here to clap

  For me and my guitar

  I got a telephone in the hall

  But there’s no one I can call

  There’s no one here to talk

  To me and my guitar

  I got on my fancy pants

  And I’m ready to do a dance

  But there’s no one here to prance

  With me and my guitar

  I got a bottle of apple wine

  It could make her feel so fine

  But there’s no one here to drink

  With me and my guitar

  I got friends who ain’t around

  When I’m feeling down

  There’s no one here to help

  Me and my guitar

  I got women who mistreat me

  Always out to cheat me

  There’s no one here to love

  Me and my guitar

  I got six good strings

  And we’re learning how to sing

  I’m gonna make a star

  Of me and my guitar

  This blues-based tune was always a staple of our live shows.

  SOUTHBOUND ROCK N ROLL RAILROAD TRAIN

  Oh she’s a southbound rock n roll railroad train

  One way ticket here we go again

  Got a show to do, across the tracks

  Don’t know when I’ll be coming back

  And I might not have a place to stay

  But we go anywhere the people wanna hear us play

  I say we go anywhere the people wanna hear us play

  Get on that train and it’s all aboard

  She got all the luxury you can afford

  Left my baby back in Boston

  She don’t know what the trip is costin’

  And I might not have that much to say

  But we go anywhere the people wanna hear us play

  I say we go anywhere the people wanna hear us play

  Oh she’s a southbound rock n roll railroad train

  One way ticket here we go again

  Southbound rock n roll railroad train

  Nothing to lose, nothing to gain

  Coast to coast, sea to sea

  Come on baby rock n roll with me

  North to South, East to West

  Baby you know you do it the best

  Tonight New York, tomorrow LA

  I say we go anywhere the people wanna hear us play

  Yeah we go anywhere the people wanna hear us play

  Oh she’s a southbound rock n roll railroad train

  One way ticket here we go again

  Southbound rock n roll railroad train

  Nothing to lose, nothing to gain

  This is for that girl who could never quite figure out what she wanted out of life.

  CONFUSION IN YOUR EYES

  You don’t like the night and you don’t like the day

  You don’t like to work and you don’t like to play

  You keep on winning the loser’s prize

  And all I can see is confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in our smiles

  You’ll live a life of lies

  So give love another try

  You don’t like the heat and you don’t like the cold

  You don’t like being young and you don’t like growing old

  You do what you will, but time just flies

  And all I can see is confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in our smiles

  You’ll live a life of lies

  So give love another try

  You don’t like to laugh and you don’t like to joke

  You don’t like to drink and you don’t like to smoke

  You’re lost in the maze of your own disguise

  And all I can see is confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in our smiles

  You’ll live a life of lies

  So give love another try

  Give love another try

  Give love another try

  Don’t be afraid to

  Give love another try

  You don’t want to live and you don’t want to die

  You don’t tell the truth but you don’t like to lie

  Everything you love you seem to despise

  And all I can see is confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in our smiles

  You’ll live a life of lies

  So give love another try

  You don’t want to slander and you don’t want to pray

  You don’t want to go and you don’t want to stay

  When will you be big enough to try me on for size?

  And all I can see is confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in your eyes

  Confusion in our smiles

  You’ll live a life of lies

  So give love another try

  Give love another try

  Give love another try

  Don’t be afraid to

  Give love another try

  Back in the early days of internet dating I met a woman who went by the user name Hourii. Naturally, being the curious sort that I am, I couldn’t resist asking her about the origins of her peculiar handle, and of course she was more than happy to enlighten me; apparently some sort of ancient Middle Eastern legend has it that Hourii was a virgin goddess allotted to those special few who were worthy of attaining eternal paradise.

  Sadly, my relationship with the woman who was hidden behind the Hourii moniker didn’t last very long, but at least I got this poem out of it (and I must say that she was kind of awestruck by it as well).

  Also featured in the novel “From the Eyes of a Juror”, available as a free e-book download from the following link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/258503

  HOURII

  PART 1 – The Surrender

  Hourii, Hourii

  As pretty as a girl can be

  Smile of pearls, your eyes unfurl

  That white flag of surrender

  You sacrifice your soul for me

  Bear the child, humanity

  Blinded by faith, yet too blind to see

  That in the end, it’s you that captures me

  Hourii, Hourii

  It’s you that captures me

  Ancient Middle Eastern prose

  You stand there in you statue’s pose

  Your eyes they call
me with a stare

  I’ll follow you now, anywhere

  I know it’s me you must possess

  It’s come down to this fate I guess

  Hourii, Hourii

  I’ll be the one who loves you

  PART II – The Seduction

  You take me to your secret loft

  The lights are low, the music’s soft

  You take me where I’ve never been

  Back to Adam, Eve and Sin

  Silk gives way, revealing skin

  I close my eyes, my head it spins

  Our arms caress, your scent so sweet

  Gently now, our lips they meet

  We hold each other, soft and smooth

  I feel something in my spirit move

  So entwined, I can’t let go

  I worship you from head to toe

  A taste of your forbidden fruit

  A serum, sticky sweet with truth

  Hourii, Hourii

  I’ll die for you

  PART III – The Eternal Flame

  I’ve given up my life for you

  And still there’s more that I can do

  Eternity and that’s for sure

  I’ll be with you forever more

  Hourii, Hourii

  I’ll burn for you

  You study stars and moons and tides

  For signs of births, of dates, of times

  Hourii, Hourii

  Who knows what we will find…in our flaming paradise

  Hourii, Hourii

  Who knows what we will find…in Heaven…or in Hell

  Wouldn’t it be a much better world if somehow we could all just get along?

  AIN’T INTO DEATH SYNDROME (AIDS)

  They’re falling like flies in the neutral zone

  Cease fire don’t even slow them down