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Breathing On Her Own

 

Left her boots on the beach.

Walked down for a swim.

Wondering all the while

what she ever saw in him.

The water licked her wounds

with salty, burning tongues.

Soft sweet evening breeze

filled up her tired lungs

and she could breathe.

Started breathing on her own again.

 

Forever ago

and only yesterday

every word he whispered

took her breath away.

She'd fall into his arms,

like falling into space.

Hold her breath so tight

she'd disappear without a trace

forget to breathe.

Now all she really needs-

 

Is open air,

the wind in her hair,

driving off to nowhere at all.

Too deep in-

she's starting over again.

Time to go over the wall.

Right now she's better off alone.

She's breathing on her own.

 

Room two-seventeen.

Wake-up call at one.

Another thirteen hours

chasing down the sun.

In the dusty desert light,

mountains to the west,

she'll take a thousand miles of highway-

you can keep the rest

just let her breathe.

Let her breathe on her own again.

 

Open air

the wind in her hair,

driving off to nowhere at all.

Too deep in- 

she's starting over again.

Time to go over the wall.

Right now she's better off alone.

She's breathing on her own...

 

 

 

 


 

Paul and Rita

 

Paul and Rita had about ten acres.

It was all good blackland bottom.

Cotton was king but some years it seemed

like God forgot 'em.

But the river would flood

and bring the good rich mud

and right back to cotton they'd go.

Sit on the porch at the end of the day

a cup of cold black coffee and Rita would say,

 

"Where in the world did the time go? 

How'd the trees get to be so tall?

Wasn't yesterday summer? 

Is it really already fall?

I can feel the winter creepin' in the holler.

Did you hear ol' bobwhite call?

Where in the world did the time go, Paul?"

 

Raised five kids put four through college

only one went bad.

Little lost lamb by the name of Sam

nearly cost them everything they had.

The river ran down 'til it was muddy and brown.

The cottonfields finally played out.

Evenings they'd watch the fireflies play

and Rita would turn to Paul and say,

 

"Where in the world did the time go?

How'd the kids get to be so tall?

Yesterday they would run and play

and I guess I thought that they'd stay small.

I can feel the winter deep in my bones

did you hear ol' bobwhite call?

Where in the world did the time go, Paul?"

 

She soothes the wrinkles out of the lap of her apron.

Gets a faraway look in her steel gray eyes.

She says, "Ain't it funny no matter when the season changes, it always seems to take you by surprise?"

 

Paul passed on left Rita alone to watch

the trees break down and fall. 

Still got her mind, but she's 'bout half blind

and she's slowed down to a crawl.

The river run dry like a tearless eye

the kids are grown and moved away.

But she still gets around to where they laid him down,

she still has the strength to say,

 

"Where in the world did the time go? I got some

memories and that's about all. Even the brightest 

yesterdays are getting hard to recall. 

We used to run in the summer sun

but we finally hit a wall.

Where in the world did the time go, Paul?"

 

Out On The Prairie

 

Out on the prairie

You can ride for a while

You can own your ownself

You can pay with a smile

You can prance with the pronghorns

Dancewith the snakes

Hold the wind in your arms feels good, goodness sakes.

And the skies are not cloudy

And the sun is all shine

The cowboys are rowdy

All the cowgirls are mine.

Out on the prairie

You can’t help feeling fine.

 

The air tastes like copper

And the water’s so wet

Better than whiskey

It’s good as it gets

And there’s badgers for breakfast

There’s lizards for lunch

Grounds in your coffee

Just give ‘em a crunch

When the sun hides her face in

The steel overcast

And the funnels are forming

The dust races past…

Out on the prairie

Better ride fast.

 

Time is a stallion he’s rearin’ to go

A hot-blooded heartbreaker never goes slow

And he paces and stamps and snorts

In the stall

He don’t stop to blow

Won’t come when you call…

 

You can see past forever

On the prairie at night

It’s a quarter past never

When they turn out the lights

And stars wink like gypsies

And the wind stops and sighs

The moon only laughs

While coyote cries

And Venus is blushing she

Stands in the wings

Get out your fiddle

Tune all four strings!

Out on the prairie-

Everything sings!

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