Magic Kingdom
for Ezra
We stayed for the electrical parade
And caught the monorail home
At the ending of the day
And they sent us off with cannon blasts
And merry melodies
Muffled through the glass
Now the boy I carried on my shoulders
Is riding beside me
Asleep in the stroller
I try to memorize that face
Even as the moment accelerating
Carries us away
And now it's time
Now it's time
You showed me a dream and I believed
But now it's time
To say goodbye
Say goodbye to the magic kingdom
That old angel at the gate of youth
She tore my ticket
But she let me through
Just to walk with you a little while
In the world I once knew
Looking through your eyes
But now it's time
Now it's time
You showed me a dream and I believed
But now it's time
To say goodbye
Say goodbye to the magic kingdom
But sleep a little longer, my brown-eyed dreamer
Sleep just a little longer, my brown-eyed dreamer
When you wake you won't remember this
Oh, but I won't forget
When we were a pair of starlit stowaways
Going God knows where
So wild and afraid
And now it's time
Now it's time
You showed me a dream and I believed
But now it's time
To say goodbye
Say goodbye to the magic kingdom
So sleep a little longer, my brown-eyed dreamer
Sleep just a little longer, my brown-eyed dreamer
Don't wake up just yet
Here It Was
for Brian and Rose Ann
Split-level on the Great Plains
Flip flop and the grass stains
Bike pedal to the Big Bang
Birdseed in the truck bed
Kick turn from a bunkbed
Skyview in the sunset
Card table and face paint
Just Dance in the basement
Can you tell me where the days went?
Cause they don’t seem like ghosts to me
They cling so close to me
Rows in Rose’s rosary
And they took flight from me
But they still write to me
Lines in Brian’s diary
And it could have been anywhere
But here it was
It could have been anyone
Oh, but it was us
And I don’t know where we’re going
But we’ll take our love
It could have been anyone
Oh, but it was us
Pat a pot with a spoon, dear
Nine o’clock, it’s a new year
It’s just a thing that we do here
Then a birth, then a burial
leap year sugar cereal
Who said time was immaterial
Cause They don’t seem like ghosts to me
They cling so close to me
Rows in Rose’s rosary
Yes they did take flight from me
But they still write to me
Lines in Brian’s diary
And it could have been anywhere...
And I hid beneath the stairs
Tucked away behind the winter coats all hiding me
And I hid beneath the stairs
Hoping Grace would find me there and crawl inside with me
Hoping Grace would maybe stay and waste some time with me
And it could have been anywhere…
And it could have been anywhere
(But here it was)
Oh but here it was, here it was
(It could have been anyone, oh but it was us)
And I still don’t know where we’re going
(And I don’t know where we’re going, but we’ll take our love)
But we’ll take our love
(It could have been anyone)
And if we never get back
Then we’ll keep it with us
(It could of been anyone)
Oh, here it was
Touch The Wall
for Lucy
You were standing with your brother in your swim caps
The Y, July 09, and I figure since that
You probably swam to Japan and back.
But now it’s been a minute since you dropped time
You hit a stop sign but you didn’t stop trying
And when you lost love, well you never lost mine
So in this hour you don’t have to hang your head.
You can shake it off and shower singing, “thank you, next.”
Don’t forget to send your mom a thank you text
And tell her where to take you next.
On the far side of the water
At the end of it all
You’re gonna reach out
Reach out
Reach out and touch the wall
When you can’t fly any father
And you’re too tired to crawl
Baby, reach out
Reach out
Reach out and touch the wall
She said, “Girl you better ease off of the lane line.”
Coach Kirby said her peace, now I’m gonna say mine
Girl you better keep off of the shame ride
You better learn to let it be while at the same time
You serve a better kingdom than your vain pride
And if you work at everything as if it’s game time
You’re gonna earn a medal gleaning with the daylight
Because you know you’re named Light.
On the far side of the water…
My diagnosis hit me like a freight train
I felt like I was stuck in an escape game
Like I was racing in the eight lane
And it took a minute just to get my wits about me
And the devil told me God didn’t give two spits about me
But he had his cross to bear this allows me
To carry mine believing he feels it profoundly
And the good doctor says a prayer for me is written small
On a scrap of paper crumbled in a ball
And hidden in the cleft of the temple wall
So I’m looking at the sky like an Olympic pool
You’re gonna pee your pants when I Peter Pan into the blue
And I’ll never land till Neverland comes into view cause then
I’m gonna touch the wall in the New Jerusalem
On the far side of the water…
(On the far side of the water)
On the far side of the water
(At the end of it all)
(You’re gonna reach out)
(Reach out)
When you’ve got nothing left to give
(Reach out and touch the wall)
That’s when it’s right there in front of you
(When you can’t fly any father)
When you can’t fly any farther
(And you’re too tired to crawl)
Oh, and you’re too tire to crawl
(Baby, reach out)
All you do is reach out
(Reach out)
Reach out and touch the wall