Downhill
 
She says, “You’re holding up well,” but she’s just being kind
Or she has something to sell, well I’ve been wined and dined
Now I droop in my soup, 
My mind’s crispy-fried
I think I’m on the downhill side

Once I was young, wind at my back
So I just let her run, didn’t pick up the slack
Plenty of pep in my step, 
Glide in my stride
Easy on the downhill slide

They say take better care
Wash that grey from your hair
Find the new you
‘Cause fifty’s the new thirty-five
That may be so, but this I know:
Try to hold on, dear
But no one gets out of here alive

Another day, still the same thing
Here on the chain gang, they’re always yanking my chain
Golden years near 
Pay your bills, take the (little blue) pill
The signs say, “one way:” downhill

Time doesn’t pay, except for the blues and ballads
If you get salad days, don’t skip the salad
‘Cause there’s no dough to go
Just tears in the beer
It’s all downhill from here.
 
Copyright 2009, 2017 John Shore

Downhill

The Other Me

Promise

Hide and Seek

Your turn to run
Ten Mississippis done
Ready or not, here I come
But you weren't there
And I looked everywhere
Weren't we supposed to be having fun

So back to my room
You know the tune
Here comes the minor chord, here comes the gloom
It's another sad song
Another "how could it all go so wrong"
And why don't these flowers ever bloom

There's no perfect measure of pleasure and pain
You win some, you lose some, and sometimes it rains

Go ahead, there's the door
Bring it on, let it pour
'til Dinah sings "I Won't Cry Anymore"
Then I'll pick up my chin
Step back from the corner I'm in
Let's face it: we've all played this game before

Copyright 2017 John Shore

Hide And Seek

Earthquake

There was no warning
Just a little rumble, and then it hit
I wait until morning
Still there’s nothing left but to get over it.

I wade through the rubble
The fallen pictures, broken glass scattered everywhere
The crystal bowl you gave me
Maybe I shouldn’t have put it way up there.

Let’s talk about faith
Let’s talk about all of the promises and plans we make
As if we’re so sure
When earth itself is constantly shifting

I go to the trouble
To repair the fixtures, to sweep the floors
And order exact replacements
Still it isn’t quite the same here anymore.

There was no warning
Just your nervous mumble, and that was it.

Copyright 1995, 2017 John Shore

Earthquake

Into Blue

Here I go, I’m off again, forever running
Not really sure if I’m leaving or if I’m coming
Doubt is a four year-old tugging at my sleeve
Why did I move to this God-awful city
Why would I ever want to leave

Each way I turn the road looks just the same
The map gives only numbers, lines, and names
Not points of view
And I’m drifting into blue

So that’s the way it has to be
No master plan, no guarantees
No matter how far I roam
Somehow I always end up back here with me
Fear is an April thunderstorm rattling my windows
Strange thing how these storms kick up
Then just as quickly they pick up and go

Every day we move closer to the fall
Pretending we don’t see the writing on the wall
Somehow we stumble through, into blue

Take it easy, stupid
Haven’t you learned that you can’t know everything
It’s no fun if you know
When the turns and dips are coming.

Copyright 1995, 2017 John Shore

Into Blue

Simple Song

I’m not going to think too much today
I’m not going to worry at all
I’m not going to fall in too deep
Or go on too long
This is a simple song

I’m not going to struggle to rhyme today
I’m not going to be clever or wise
I’m not going to try so hard
Just to see it turn out wrong
This is a simple song

But what if I can’t stop thinking about you
Can I tell you that I care
I won’t use the “L” word
I’m not sure it belongs
In a simple song

What if I want you to hold me
‘Cause I’m tired of holding myself
Maybe this ain’t the place
Maybe my timing is wrong
This is a simple song

Copyright 1992, 2017 John Shore

Simple Song

Kind of Famous

He’s got your nose, he’s got your name
But soon enough he’ll let you know
He’s his own man, he’s not the same
And you’re nothing special, and you’re always to blame
He’ll break your window, wreck your car
And lie to his friends for shame of who you are
And he’ll run away, but he’ll never run too far

You’re no football hero, no man of steel
But you’re kind of famous, kind of real
Kind of like the man that he’ll become

She’s always looking for a fight
And you jump right in:
“That’s too much make-up, that sweater’s too tight”
And she’ll never give in, and you’ll never be right
But one day when she’s all up and grown
And she has a little girl of her own
She’ll call you up, and want you to tell her everything you know

There’s no Nobel Prize, no Purple Heart
But you’re kind of famous, kind of smart
You’ll kind of go down in history

Then all those sleep nights, the grass-stained dress
The bloody noses, the chocolate mess,
The because I said sos, don’t leave that there
He started it, that’s not fair
One day it’ll all make sense

Copyright 2003, 2017 John Shore

Kind Of Famous

My Time in Rome

I’m not a poor boy but I’m a long way from home
I’m not a poor boy but I’m a long way from home
I’m packing up my bags, I think I spent enough time in Rome
 
Shot or two of Bourbon, three or four bottles of beer
Too many nights alone wishing you were here
Said I was going to the corner, turned it into a second career
 
Pork, beef, or chicken—can’t tell, but it’s all you can eat
I think I’ll have another cheap fling, never miss a trick or treat
I was living so large, I think I lost sight of my feet
 
They say, son, be careful, ‘cause times is getting hard
The devil’s been busy messing in your back yard
If I was meant to suffer they wouldn’t have given me a credit card
 
So come on over, honey, don’t be such a tease
I got a pocket full of money, still got to say “Pretty please”
Give me the usual: extra pickles, extra sleaze
 
Full slab of bacon, sugar running through my veins
Don’t bother trying to save it, it done slipped down the drain
Something’s coming up, honey, must be fixing to rain
 
I’m not a poor boy but I’m a long way from home
I’m not a poor boy but I’m a long way from home
I’m leaving in the morning, I think I spent enough time in Rome

© 2002, 2017 John Shore

My Time In Rome

I Don’t Want to Feel it Anymore

I’ve tried too long to make some sense of this
I’m going to run and hide
Pull down the shades and lock the door
‘Cause I don’t want to feel it anymore
I don’t want to feel it anymore

Please let me sleep without dreaming tonight
The visions I’d see would be too clear
Too real to ignore
And I don’t want to feel it anymore
I don’t want to feel it anymore

Sometimes it’s anger burning like a forest fire
Sometimes it’s more like sadness
And I’m left lost in the desert
Empty and tired.

Please take away all my senses tonight
It’s not like they’ve been working
It seems I never find what I’m looking for
And I don’t want to feel it anymore
I don’t want to feel it anymore.

Copyright 1987, 2017 John Shore

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