You're right.  It's true.  Everything  revolves around you.  You're so steady, so stable.  I'm a broken gorilla.
It's true.  You're right.  You supply the power and the light.  So ethical, so able.  I'm a broken gorilla.
So let me kiss you.  Let me let you kiss me.  Baby feed my face with your femininity.
So come and kiss me.  Come and let me let me kiss you.  I won't swat you away!
You're right.  It's  true.  Everything emerges out of you.  It's true.  You're right.  I'm a broken gorilla.  You're right.  It's true.  I'm no kangaroo.  It's true.  You're right.  I'm a broken gorilla.

Broken Gorilla

Hole

The tree’s out on the curb.  My calendar’s out of date.  
The Bears are out of the playoffs, and the Bulls have lost six straight.
Your brother’s out of job—says he needs a place to stay.  
My sister’s out of jail, so she’ll be showing up later today.

The kids are out of control.  Same with the dog and cat. 
You say, “That’s just how they roll.”, and I’m supposed to be cool with that?
The situation’s out of hand.  The weather’s out of whack.
Our lovin’s out of sync, and my dealer’s out of smack!

I’m crying out loud.  I won’t be crying in my beer any more.
I’m gonna cry my eyes out like I never cried before
For crying out loud.  I’m crying out loud.

Prices are outrageous.  Politicians out of touch.
Sure, we vote ‘em in and out, but the outcome don’t change much.
The cat’s out of the bag.  The future’s bought and sold.
It ain’t hard to figure out when you’ve been left out in the cold.

I’m crying out loud . . . 

You know, the tree’s still at the curb, and the neighbor’s are irate.
The Bulls are out of the playoffs, and the Blackhawks, aww man,  the Blackhawks
friggin’ don’t know how to skate!

The Ides of January (Crying Out Loud)

First stop was Amarillo.  Next stop’ll be OKC
I’ll be in Birmingham by Friday morning for the Alabama Jamboree

I was sound asleep in Albuquerque when I got woke up about half past three
with a demon inside me driving me to drive to the Alabama Jamboree

The Alabama Jamboree gonna set me free
The Alabama Jamboree will be the death of me

Am I in Texas or Oklahoma?  All I know is where I’m gonna be
come Friday morning in Birmingham at the Alabama Jamboree

I’ve got my Bible and a pack of baloney in the plastic bag sitting next to me
The cure and the poison keeping me fit for the Alabama Jamboree

That Alabama Jamboree gonna set me free
The Alabama Jamboree will be the death of me

Last stop was Amarillo.  Next stop: OKC
I’ll be in Birmingham by Friday morning for the Alabama Jamboree

Alabama Jamboree

So, the day didn’t go the way you’d hoped it would, I know
Nobody cared . . . about all that work you put in
Well, let me come to you, and wrap my arms around you
And you can cry your ugly cry
I’ll tell you once again that you’re beautiful
And you can cry

It can’t be easy being beautiful, I’m sure
When someone cares  . . . the way you care
So, come and walk with me, and tell me all about it
We can walk around the block
I’ll tell you once again that you’re beautiful
And we can walk
And you can cry

So, the day didn’t go the way you’d hoped it would, I know
Nobody cares . . . quite the way you do
Well, let me tell you this joke your father told me
And you can smile your smirky smile
I’ll keep quiet for a while
And you can smile
And we can cry

You Can Cry

Every now and then we start loving again, but it don’t last long
For a day or a night everything’s all right, then it all goes wrong
Social trolls and personal demons drive the love away
Doubts about tomorrow darken every day

Then every now and then we start loving again, but it don’t take long
for one to blame the other for being too weak while the other one’s too headstrong
“She don’t respect me”, “He don’t trust me”, “The damn TV’s too loud”
“And who the hell are you to be acting all proper and proud?”

Then every now and then we start loving again

Yeah, every now and then we start loving again, but before too long
That sweet serenade turns into some tirade; it’s the same old song
“I’m a liar?, well, you’re a hypocrite!”  “Let’s just end it!”
The love we had’s gone bad, and there aint’ no way to mend it.

Then every now and then we start loving again
But it don’t last long.  Same old song.

Every Now and Then

Cowboy songs are cool, but I don’t sing them.
I’m no cowboy— I never was.
So, even if I’m wearing boots and Wrangler’s,
them’s the only things I do that a cowboy does

Cowboys don’t ride bicycles down main street, no
they ride horses out on the open range.
So, even if I live here in West Texas
I’m no cowboy, and that’s never gonna change

I ride by bike to the livestock show
I wander ‘round without a clue.
I ride by bike to the rodeo,
sit myself down--I’m clueless.

I love cowboy songs, I just don’t sing ‘em; 
I’m no kind of cowboy counterfeit.
So, even though I’m wearing boots and Wrangler’s
I’m no cowboy, I readily admit.

I’m no cowboy; more like a cowboy misfit.

Cowboy Songs

phone/Voice Memos recording, 3 August  2024
         
Simply American

She’s a woman.  She’s Black.  I’m a man.  I’m White.
Her ancestors came here on a boat from West Africa
My ancestors came here on a boat —  from the British Isles.
We’re here.  We belong,  We’re home.  Neither of us pure-bred anything.
Simply American.    Simply American.

Mr. Lee looks Chinese.  Whatever that means, that’s how he looks
His ancestors came here on a boat to San Francisco
He was born in the Year of the Ox —  in Albuquerque
He’s here.  He’s home.  He belongs.
100% Chinese-New Mexican.  Simply American.  Simply American.
                
	The people, the land and the Constitution
        Prepared to make a stand; prepared for revolution.
        We’re here.  We’re home.  We belong, Here
        No off-shore bank accounts, no dual citizenship.
        It’s not complicated, to be simply American
                                                  
Mestizo Mary from down ‘round Laredo.  Her family’s been here
since only God knows when.
Their land’s been a part of at least seven different nations:
Spain, France, Texas, Mexico, CSA,USA
and don’t forget the Republic —  of the Rio Grande
She’s here.  Mary’s home.  She belongs.
The immaculate soul of the homeland.  Simply American
That’s us.  We’re home.  Here.  The heart and soul of the homeland:
Simply American.

Simply American

On Dream

Someday, you’re gonna wake up and wonder
Someday—could be later today
Someday you’re gonna look up and wonder—why
Oh, why do you do me this way?

Someday, when all those memories surrender
Someday, when those expectations fold
Someday when you wise up to the splendor, you’re gonna wonder
Why, oh why, do I still feel so cold?

I know that cross you carry is cumbersome 
The one I carry’s just the same
But now is not the time to be a hero or a martyr
That comes later—for now, just play the game

And someday, you’re gonna find the sky inside you
Someday you’ll see yourself up in sky
Someday, with a lover there beside you, you’re gonna wonder
Why, oh why, am I about to cry?
Oh, why do I believe I’m gonna cry?

Someday

When I’m hungry Stephanie feeds me
When I’m need she supplies, and
When she’s greedy I get busy
When I get too busy Stephanie cries

And when she’s lazy I let her be lazy
When she’s empty I ball the jack
When I go crazy she sedates me
She lays me down and rubs my back

When she’s downhearted I try to cheer her
When I fail she hangs tough
She says she only needs me near her
to sing one song, and that’s enough

Oh, Stephanie, this mystery bewilders me 
as I abide

And when wander she does not follow
When I return she takes me in
She asks me questions.  I make up stories
because I can’t remember where I’ve been

And when I hurt she’s my nurse
And when she prays I’m her priest
And when we frolic we’re relentless
She plays to beauty.  I play the beast

Oh, Stephanie, this mystery has exposed me
and I am purified
So, Stephanie, keep feeding me
Keep bleeding me, and I’ll provide
I will provide

Stephanie

Distant relatives, distant friends—
the only kind I’ve got
So it goes for restless souls,
whether we like it or not

Erstwhile companions, ex-lovers,
former bosses, forgotten kin
all fade in the haze of bygone days
along with every fool I’ve been

So goes for restless souls.  So it goes . . . 

I was born prematurely, left high school early,
I never could sit tight or settle down.
So, come what may, babe, I can’t stay—
I’m on my way to some unfamiliar town.

So it goes . . . 

Restless Souls

Crayons and paper 
at the kitchen table with my niece
She draws rainbows and painted ponies
I draw the sky and the sea

She draws her baby half-brother and her sister
I draw Paul Bunyan’s ox
She draws a fat yellow unicorn with whiskers 
as she sips juice out of a box

She puts Mars and Venus in my sky
I add Uranus and Neptune
We talk about Uranus and how it’s pronounced
She gets hysterical and juice comes out her nose

We collect up the crayons and break out the cookies
She tells me about Jesus, I’m thinking about Vishnu
Then out of nowhere she grabs my arm and asks
“Andy, how come everything you do is blue?

“Your t-shirt’s blue
Your jeans are, too
Your eyes are green but they’re always blue
from now on I’m gonna call you Uncle Blue”

I say ok

“Okay”, and we leave it at that
She hums along with the refrigerator drone
Then they both fall silent and she asks me
“What’s it like living all alone?”

I say “I like it

“Yeah, I like it, but it’s not for everyone
Only for fools like me.”
She says, “You’re no fool, I think you’re cool.”
She loves her rhyme and gets hysterical again.

Juice comes out her nose
I think she does it on purpose
So, I tell her she’s got talent
then suggest that she and I run off with the circus.

She likes that idea.

Crayons and paper 
at the kitchen table with my niece
She draws rainbows and painted ponies
I draw the sky and the sea

G-Man Joy

Pinned to spotlight

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