Born of Longing

A baby begins chewing on letters on wood blocks

To get to the root of the problem at hand

All your language is splinters it can't stick together

When you open your mouth you start loosing your head

And you still can't explain why the sky is blue

There is nothing so sweet as the milk of your mother

That's how you bounce back when the bough breaks

Now you've got these two eyes that go from wandering to wise

Depending on the wind and how it's feeling today

And you've been thinking about swimming upstreams

Are you embarressed by legends of cowboys and maidens

Do you remember how David caught a giant on his tongue?

The light through the window holds the dust of past heroes

And they're never destroyed only scattered around

By the drunk wind spilling his guts

So a child lights a fire just to look in the mirror

For soon he'll be wearing his Papa's grey beard

All his days in the country full of flame and born of longing

Into the haze of the cityscape they all but disappear

Like horses running out of prairie

But if the stars can't quit dreaming

And if the sun is still sleeping

Then beholden they'll swallow the sad empty space

While the moon casts her shadows and spells on new lovers

Who must blush as they brush the hair from their faces

And the crickets know nobody is immune

You assume that I'm wounded because I'm hunchbacked and hooded

But I've got a dream just like any honest man

I might keep it hidden so sweet is my burden

But if someone tried to steal it they'd have to cut off my hands

For it's as heavy and as precious as gold.