FOLLOW THE ROAD

Poems from the Journey

Travel on, follow the trail

Every question leaves a tale

In your eyes those distant miles

You’ll outrun the hands of time

Let no barking dogs alarm you

Eagles climb where skies are blue

Be the music, let it rise

Like a river through the night skies

Be the hand that’s always giving

Be the reason someone’s living

Be the voice inside the storm

When the silence takes its form

Be the song the heart breaks through

When the world can’t hear the truth

Measure life by the soul you keep

Not the promises you couldn’t keep

Let your joy make fear retreat

Throw your laughter in the street

May the wind stay at your back

On every road that fades to black

Be the music, let it rise

Like a river through the night skies

Be the hand that’s always giving

Be the reason someone’s living

Be the voice inside the storm

When the silence takes its form

Be the song the heart breaks through

When the world can’t hear the truth

So keep walking through the dust

Trust the road and learn to trust

Every mile will make you see

Who you were and who you’ll be

Travel on, follow the road

Let your restless spirit roam

Measure life by what is true

And let the wind keep pushing you

Slow Down, Hurry On

I came in quiet, no one knew my name

I’ll leave the same way, same old flame

Walking roads that don’t show on charts

Ain’t no truth in reading hearts

Life’s a train on a midnight line

No conductor, no warning sign

You read my face like a roadside song

But what you see’s where you went wrong

Under the lights, I play my role

In the dark, I lose control

Chasing dreams that feel worn thin

Same old night, again, again

I love like fire, I won’t fake

But I hate the hate that people make

This ride’s short, and the wheels roll on

We’re racing fate ‘til the break of dawn

Slow down, hurry on

Time slips by, then it’s gone

Let’s fix what’s cracked before the day is through

Leave the bad dreams black and blue

Hear that whistle down the track

Ain’t no way to take it back

Every mile, every scar

Made you who you really are

So hold on tight, don’t let it go

Truth runs deeper than you know

When the dust finally settles down

Love’s the only solid ground

Slow down, hurry on

Sing it low like an old sad song

Hold me close before the night is through

We’ll outrun what we’ve been through

The Crooked Mile

I’ve been the boss of every song I write

Made them walk crooked, made them walk right

Played for tips in roadside dives

Chasing ghosts in broke-down rides

Left my name in a nowhere town

Found my truth when the sun went down

A man without a melody

Ain’t nothing but a memory

Paid my dues, walked every mile

Lost my way but kept my stride

Straight roads never made a name

I carved my path through dirt and flame

Paid my dues in dust and fire

Still kept walking, climbing higher

Every scar, every trial

That’s how I walked that crooked mile

I’m a backroad rhythm, six-string soul

Kept me burning when the nights got cold

No straight lines, no safety net

Just bad decisions I don’t regret

Every town tried to shut me down

I lit a fire, let it burn out loud

Now they stop and hear me out

Every scar tells what I'm about

Paid my dues, walked every mile

Lost my way but kept my stride

Straight roads never made a name

I carved my path through dirt and flame

Paid my dues in dust and fire

Still kept walking, climbing higher

Every scar, every trial

That’s how I walked that crooked mile

Quiet Soul

I bought a hat in a dream shop downtown

And dreamed of a river running wild and free

My head feels lighter since I came around

And “happy man” is written all over me

I’ll plow the sky and I’ll get a good dog

One that don’t stray wherever he goes

And I’ll have a neighbor, decent and calm

Who don’t pull a gun every time his blood flows

On a little boat everything matters

Which way the restless winds might blow

You can’t outrun all the empty chatter

What's worse: no cash, or no soul to show?

So I bought that hat in the dream shop again

And a clear river running wild and free

My mind feels fresh like it did back then

And “a happy man” still reads on me

Morning comes easy, sun on my face

Coffee and laughter, a joke with a grin

Life’s too short just to give it away

To a wild-eyed captain pulling you in

On a big old ship everything matters

Though you don’t have to know every face

You might escape all the empty chatter

But the noise still finds you any place

Let the wind blow where it goes

I don’t chase what I don’t know

On my boat I’m finally free

Just a quiet soul on an open sea

On every ship the winds still blow

And every rumor wants control

But on my boat the good tales flow

And the sea stays calm for a quiet soul

The Boy I Used to Know

Got my old guitar, strings worn thin

Smoke from the mill still on my skin

Coffee and a map in a paper sack

Counting all the years that ain’t coming back

Hey, old friend, pour it slow

Funny how the past still knows your soul

That green river’s calling my name

Late July running through my veins

Hear the screen door slam in the distance

Like an old song riding on the rain

That green river’s pulling me home

To the town where the wild boys roamed

Every shadow, every mile marker

Leads to a life I used to know

Too many nights beneath neon lights

Too many highways and county lines

Every town just looks the same

Till I hear somebody call my name

Hey, old friend, one more round

Hear that freight train mournful sound

That green river’s calling my name

Hot wind blowing through the plains

Kids still diving off the riverbank

Like nothing down there ever changed

That green river’s pulling me home

Back before we all moved on

To the echoes and the cracked front porches

And the place where the heart stays strong

I can see that old sign

Buzzing alive in the summertime

Old tires humming, windows down

Ghosts of those summers all around

Some things never really fade…

That green river’s calling my name

I quit outrunning yesterday

Just old memories rolling beside me

Like the radio static in the rain

That green river’s pulling me home

Back before we all moved on

Yeah, that river keeps on singing

For the boy I used to know

Sweet Familiar Pain

You’re a legend lost in time

In my heart, you still remain

Even if you’re just a memory

Just a sweet, familiar pain

You were the pride, I was the shame

Now I’m older, still the same

Still askin’ life for something more

Chasing dreams like I did before

Now the morning wakes me with a song

But the ones I love are all long gone

The ones I stood with side by side

Through the lowest lows and the wildest highs

Too many years just slipped away

Some got lost and some passed away

But every now and then it cuts me deep

Thinking about the promises we couldn’t keep

I still hear your voice in songs we used to play

I swore I’d never go back there…

But here I am again

Now the morning wakes me with a song

But the ones I love are all long gone

The ones I stood with side by side

Through the lowest lows and the wildest highs

Now every road just feels the same

Different town, different name

But every mile just brings me back

To the life we lived I still can’t have

You’re a legend lost in time

In my heart, you still remain

Even if you’re just a memory

Just a sweet, familiar pain

The Same Man I Know

A lie’s a worn-out record that just won’t quit

There ain’t no gold in the promises you spit

You swear that you love me, then fade like a ghost

Am I trusting your words - or what I see the most?

Even when you’re gone, you’re hauntin’ my skin

When the wheels fall off, I just take it on the chin

My soul’s like a river, wide, dark, and deep

Life ain’t hungry enough for the secrets I keep

So tune up the strings, let the midnight roll on

Pour me a double ‘til the misery’s gone

Life didn’t break me, I took every blow

If I’m born again, I’m the same man I know

When the Lord calls “lights out,” I’ll stand in the rain

I’ve learned every rhythm of a heart full of pain

In a glass on the table, truth cuts through the lie

Still I reach for the comfort I just can’t deny

Even when it burns, I don’t back away

The fire inside’s gonna have its say

So tune up the strings, let the midnight roll on

Pour me a double ‘til the misery’s gone

Life didn’t break me, I took every blow

If I’m born again, I’m the same man I know

Ghost on a Red Dirt Road

Red clay’s crying out for the rain

Like a northbound whistle... man, it screams for the train

Girl, I’m starving for you - you gotta understand

I’m just a handful of dust slipping through my own hands

The sun’s gotta bleed just to let in the night

And a soul that’s gone sideways... it’s begging for a light

So don't you let go, don't you let me drift low

'Cause you’re the only gravel path I know

It’s a shorter walk to the gates of gold

Than trying to stitch a heart that’s gone cracked and cold

The bridge is a bonfire, the wheels won't slow

There ain’t a damn thing left I need to know

I don’t want no land, I don’t want no throne

Just a rollin’ ghost... made of skin and bones

The city’s got a grind, trying to round off my edges

They’re building up walls and they’re trimming their hedges

I need you to keep me... keep me something like true

When the wolves start howling for a piece of me and you

Yeah, it’s easier to reach for the gates of gold

Than mend a heart that’s gone cracked and cold

The bridge is a bonfire, the wheels won't slow

There ain’t a damn thing left I need to know

No dirt to my name, no place to call home

Just a rollin’ ghost... made of skin and bones

"Hotel California" crackling through the dash

An old ghost dream rising up from the ash

Pack it up, darling... let’s just ride it out free

When the world goes blind, "crazy" is all that’s left to be

Now the sun’s catching fire where the ocean rolls

But that red dirt’s a permanent stain on my soul

Bad news is whistlin’... blowing down the line

Watching old friends flicker out... one at a time

It’s easier to touch the sky...

Than to stop this whole world from passin' us by

The tide is turning... the truth is a burn

And those wheels of fate? Lord, they just keep a-churn

I can hear that old song... every time I fall...

Just a ghost on a red dirt road...

That's all

That's all

Your Kind of Light

You’re that summer rain

On this cracked-up land

I’m a flicker of a flame

In a dead man’s hand

My heart ain’t got no shelter

Just a screen door in the wind

There’s a storm been rising

Ever since you let me in

Yeah, I hear it in the distance

Like a warning I can’t outrun

Give me just a little sunshine

Before it all goes black

I’ve been drifting through the dark, girl

And I can’t find my way back

Give me just a little sunshine

Let it fall on me tonight

‘Cause nothing in this whole damn world

Cuts like your kind of light

You don’t gotta hide your shadows

I can see them in your eyes

I’ve been living with my demons

Since the day I learned to lie

Come a little closer

We don’t gotta say it right

We ain’t built for forever

We’re just trying to survive tonight

Give me just a little sunshine

Before it all goes black

I’ve been drifting through the dark, girl

And I can’t find my way back

Give me just a little sunshine

Let it fall on me tonight

‘Cause nothing in this whole damn world

Cuts like your kind of light

If the sky comes down in fire

And the night won’t let me sleep

I’d be runnin’ to your light, girl

Like a sinner on his knees

Yeah, I’d crawl through every shadow

Even ones I swore I’d keep

Give me just a little sunshine

Before it fades to black

I’ve been lost out on this highway

And I ain’t coming back

Give me just a little sunshine

Let it fall on me tonight

‘Cause nothing in this whole damn world

Cuts like your kind of light

Gold to Dust

Love is a house where the shadows meet

Where the broken and the blessed share the same back seat

And that’s about all this life’s gonna give

Young blood runs hot, but it don’t run wise

Got feather wings tryin’ to outrun the sky

Too soft for the hurt, too hard to forgive

You’re lying to me, I see it clear

I see the truth, it’s always near

I watch your gold turn to dust right here

You’re lying to me, I feel it grow

A heavy weight I’ve come to know,

Right and wrong are at war in my soul

Can I find a spark in a dead, dry land?

Can the devil shake the angel’s hand?

Oh Lord, does that live in a man like me?

Hate’s just love with a crooked spine

Twisted up in a truth gone blind

How do I want what I’ve never seen?

You’re lying to me, I see it clear

I see the truth, it’s always near

I watch your gold turn to dust right here

You’re lying to me, I feel it grow

A heavy weight I’ve come to know,

Right and wrong are at war in my soul

Life Don’t Ask

Woke up this morning, you were holding my mind

Like kids by a fire, scared of leaving the light

There’s a cold wind waiting just outside my door

Let it wait all night - I don’t care anymore

You’re miles away, and they all say I’ll be fine

“That kind of hurt just fades with time”

Maybe they’re right - but I know the truth

Nothing in this world means a thing without you

I been fighting like a wild man, wrestling this pain

But it don’t break, it just calls my name

Life don’t knock, don’t ask, just walks away

Leaves you standing in the wreckage of what it took that day

Yeah it takes, it takes… and it don’t explain

Fate keeps dragging me down roads I don’t choose

Hear my soul tearing, like stitches coming loose

This ain’t a mountain standing tall and strong

It can all fall apart - and it won’t take long

And if I fall, I’m going straight to the ground

Ain’t no saving grace gonna turn me around

But I ain’t scared of losing what we had

I know this life… and it don’t give back

I been swinging at the dark, trying to break these chains

But the truth rolls in like pouring rain

Life don’t knock, don’t ask, just walks away

Leaves you standing in the wreckage of what it took that day

Yeah it takes, it takes… and it don’t explain

So let that cold wind howl my name tonight,

I’ll be right here, holding on to what’s left inside…

It’s Not Too Late

There’s a bar on the corner still holding our names

Dust on the bottles, same old flames

Smells like summer and cheap cologne

Back when this town felt like our own

We were kings with nowhere to go

Burning fast, never moving slow

Swore those nights would never fade

Now they’re ghosts in a different shade

Yeah, I hear you in the static, clear as day

A voice I never really walked away from

So drive through the echoes and the songs we knew

Shake off the years that buried you

All those “somedays” turned into scars

But they ain’t too deep, you ain’t too far

Yeah, run through the fire, feel it again

Ain’t too late to start where it ends

If your heart still beats, you ain’t done yet

It’s not too late… don’t forget

You step back thinking time’s moved on

Like the world kept spinning and left you gone

Counting losses like they define

Every crooked mile in your line

Fighting battles nobody sees

Trying to make peace with old memories

But deep down under all that weight

There’s a spark you didn’t suffocate

You don’t need a sign, you don’t need a prayer

You just need to know it’s still there

So drive through the echoes and the songs we knew

Shake off the years that buried you

All those “somedays” turned into scars

But they ain’t too deep, you ain’t too far

Yeah, run through the fire, feel it again

Ain’t too late to start where it ends

If your heart still beats, you ain’t done yet

It’s not too late… don’t forget

We ain’t who we were, but we ain’t gone

Still got a little of that fight holding on

And if the road don’t look the same

Hell, maybe that’s the point of change

So drive through the echoes and the songs we knew

Shake off the years that buried you

All those “somedays” turned into scars

Still got a shot - you ain’t too far

Yeah, run through the fire, feel it again

Turn that page, don’t ask me when

If your heart still beats, you ain’t done yet

You’re not outta time… you’re just not done yet

Smile Through the Storm

I light up quick, then I cool down fast

Start out strong then I take it back

Sometimes I can’t keep myself in line

Feels like I’m fighting my own damn mind

Some days me and me don’t agree

Every little thing gets to me

Every word that don’t sound right

Lights my fuse like dynamite

When my head gets foggy like a window in the rain

I can hear the devil calling out my name

Luck won’t come a-knocking, no matter what I do

Mama said, “Don’t be so stubborn, boy - you know I’m telling the truth.”

Highway lines running under my wheels tonight

Just me and the darkness in the headlights

Enjoy it while you can

That’s what mama would say

When the road turns dark

And the sky goes gray

When the wounds of the heart

Leave scars on your soul

And the devil keeps calling my name

I just smile through the storm

And keep walking that road

Nothing really knocks me down these days

Since I started learning from mistakes

All the bad just passes by

Like a dark cloud in the sky

Like a stray old cat with nine damn lives

I keep landing back on my side

Still believe in the good somehow

And not much scares me now

Enjoy it while you can

That’s what mama would say

When the road turns dark

And the sky goes gray

When the wounds of the heart

Leave scars on your soul

And the devil keeps calling my name

I just smile through the storm

And keep walking that road

Life Runs Fast

My brother came into this world

With four hard strikes to his name

I was born beneath that same old star

In the shadow of the same old rain

He walked through dust and broken roads

With nothing but his stubborn pride

Life put its boots upon his chest

And the dream he had just died

He read the books, the poets too

But never learned to read a man

He wrote sweet words that sounded true

Like a soft song in a hard land

But when you're just a horse in the field

You don’t worry ‘bout the crown

The only one who cares who wins

Is the one who rides you down

And it turns, Lord, it turns again

The old song on a brand-new day

Life runs fast through a rusted vein

Like water that won’t stay

I ain’t the man to fix this world

I ain’t the man they’d choose

I just spin around in this old wind

With these worn-out boots and blues

From beast to man is a long road, son

Takes a lifetime just to climb

But the road back down is quick and dark

And it happens all the time

Don’t matter now if you’re calm or mad

If you laugh or curse the sky

There’s a hand somewhere that cuts the cloth

And measures how you die

And it turns, Lord, it turns again

The old song on a brand-new day

Life runs fast through a rusted vein

Like water that won’t stay

This song won’t change the broken world

It won’t wash the night away

But it might just change the man I am

And that’s enough today

The Ember Still Sings

You built this world with your own two hands

Walked through trouble across hard lands

You kept the fire alive through Balkan snow

You kept hope on the table when times were low

Don't mind the words people throw your way

Keep on walking, come night or day

'Cause every soul one day will know

You only get back what you sow

You learned to stand when the river ran high

Held your ground while the years rolled by

You gave when giving had to be done

Never asked back from anyone

Don’t mind the words people throw your way

Keep on walking come night or day

‘Cause every soul one day will know

You only get back what you sow

The fire burns out, but the ember still sings

Like an old freight train crying through the springs

Now the shadows lengthen as the evening falls

But there is a comfort when the highway calls

You leave a trail where the tall pines grow

Like a porch light burning after the show

Don’t mind the words people throw your way

Keep on walking come night or day

‘Cause every soul one day will know

You only get back what you sow

When you’re old enough

When you’re old enough, you’ve seen it all

Every rise, every stumble, every fall

Love and death, betrayal and pain

The same old stories coming around again

You’ve heard the lies, you know the game

Seen false smiles behind honest names

Friends who stayed for what they could take

And all the foolish mistakes hearts make

When you’re old enough, you understand

You’ve played your part, you”ve shown your hand

You’ve done your share, more than once or twice

And dressed up your mistakes as good advice

When you’re old enough, you finally know

Excuses fade but the scars still show

Comfort comes, then it slips away

Like a fading light at the end of the day

When you’re old enough, there’s nothing new

The world’s still spinning the lies you knew

You’ve seen beginnings, you’ve watched things end

You know who’s real and who just pretends

When you’re old enough, you learn too late -

You can’t outrun what you call fate

The years don’t lie, they just move on

And every night gives way to dawn

Before It Slips Away

“Never argue with the ones who let you down,” my granddad used to say

“Never walk the roads where good men lose their way”

“Never ask for favors from hands that closed before,” my mother warned

“Never let a liar through your door”

But I never listened, I ran hard and wild

Burned through years chasing dreams like a reckless child

Somewhere in the wreckage I finally came to find:

Fortune never gave a single day back to my life

’Cause I wanted to live, not spend my whole life standing still

I stumbled, I fell, chasing every kind of thrill

But in the end we all come here naked, and we leave the same

Had nothing to lose but my time and my name

Now I’m getting older and I count the good inside my days

I don’t waste my nights listening to fools beg for praise

I don’t try fixing people already torn apart

And I don’t give my time to angry, bitter hearts

Yeah, I finally learned most people won’t be satisfied

So I let go of all the anger and the pride

These days I’d rather find a little peace than spend my life being right

And hold on to the ones still standing by my side

Most things fade faster than you think they will

Like rain across a windshield rolling down a hill

So hold your loved ones close before they slip away

Tell your stories while you still got words to say

Let the rain wash the windshield, let the headlights cut the night

Hold on to the ones you love while they’re still by your side

In the end the only things that ever really last

Are the love we leave behind and the stories from our past

Strings of this world

Born with dust upon my heels and sand

The ancient moon has marked me on my brow

The southern wind has found me where I stand

With bitter brandy, wine, and broken vows

I carry sorrow deep beneath my skin

Like silver threads upon a weathered coat

And when the silent weeping starts within

Love flares like embers in a thirsty throat

Blood will never tell a lie

It beats a restless, wild design

When the hollow night draws nigh

This pride of mine will always shine

Strings of this world

Tugging at my soul

Invisible and slender threads

The ones that make me whole

And if they break the dreams I’ve spun

I’ll dream them all anew

Strings of this world

Will pull me safely through

I’ve slept upon a thousand gravel beds

With my guitar, the only bread I’d find

I tore the chains from skies above our heads

And left the borders and the traps behind

From the beast I took my might

From man, the grief and broken bone

But in my voice, a bird in flight

Sings a song without a home

Fate is hunting for my name

In the shadow, in the sun

But I’m a hunter just the same

Until the song and sky are one

Strings of this world

Tugging at my soul

Invisible and slender threads

The ones that make me whole

And if they break the dreams I’ve spun

I’ll dream them all anew

Strings of this world

Will pull me safely through

Champions of Love

We're the champions of love, that's who we are

Still shining bright like an old lucky star

We’ve weathered the storms, we’ve stood through it all

And I’ll be right here whenever you fall

Tell me the dreams that you still hold dear

Whisper them softly, I’ll always be near

My darling, remember the dreams we once made

And all of the promises time couldn’t fade

When you're sad, let the teardrops fall

When you're happy, you outshine them all

Remember our first kiss when you're feeling blue

The whole world disappears when I'm holding you

We've had our battles, we've had our scars

But nothing in this world could tear apart our hearts

We didn't always win, we didn't always shine

But somehow your hand kept finding mine

Through every storm, when push came to shove

We stood together, champions of love

Life's been a river with rocks in the bend

But love kept on flowing again and again

We’ve walked through the darkness and into the light

And your smile still makes every dark day bright

Don’t carry the ghosts that are pulling you down

Don’t wear old regrets like a thorn-covered crown

The future ain’t written, the past is long gone

So hold my hand, baby, and let’s carry on

Remember our first kiss when you're feeling blue

The whole world disappears when I'm holding you

We've had our battles, we've had our scars

But nothing in this world could tear apart our hearts

And if the years should steal our youth away

I'd still fall for you like I did that first day

Through every storm, when push came to shove

We'll stand together, champions of love

We're the champions of love, yes it's true

After all these years I'd still choose you

You Can’t Fake the Truth

Well, have you heard ‘bout Banjo Bill?

Walked this world with a rebel will

Some men laughed and some men cried

Some called him a fool, but none denied

He was one of a kind, yeah, one of a kind

He was born to money, everyone knew

But he never let it tell him what to do

They said, “Be a doctor, make your name”

He said, “That ain’t my road to fame”

He chose them strings and a restless life

Oh, he played like a lonesome train

Sounded like joy, sounded like pain

And when bad luck came his way

He’d bow his head and softly say

These words still ring wherever folks play:

“You can fake every note, but you can’t fake the truth”

You can buy you a guitar bright as gold

Learn every lie that you’ve been sold

But if your heart ain’t in the sound

It won’t ring true when the lights go down

A good song grows from a broken soul

People loved him for his grin

Women let that devil in

Never played for money or fame

Just for the love of the sound and the flame

And the road kept calling out his name

Then one day, old Bill was gone

No goodbye, no trace to follow on

Some folks swore down Texas way

They’d seen Bill just the other day

Maybe New York, maybe Chicago town

Maybe still just ramblin’ around

No one’s heard in a long, long while

A word about Bill and his crooked smile

Is he still here or heaven-bound?

Is he still lost or finally found?

You can buy you a guitar bright as gold

Learn every lie that you’ve been sold

But if your heart ain’t in the sound

It won’t ring true when the lights go down

A good song grows from a broken soul

Some say he died somewhere out of town

Some say he never slowed it down

Some say he’s gone, six feet underground

Some say he never left - he just became the sound

So travel on if you feel that call

Ain’t no road gonna save us all

But if you’ve got something deep inside

Let it live, don’t let it die

You can fake every note, but you can’t fake the truth.

All rights reserved (C)+(P) ADI Audio Video Productions, Los Angeles, CA