Ruffner

Leaves don't change like they used to There's no color anymore late September trees just drop their green leaves down 1994, 8 years old, I still remember Color bombs of greens and golds and reds and browns Maybe it's not the worst thing in the world This nostalgia lets me live in another time and another town Maybe it's the same thing as taking pictures with my camera But stay up too long, you can't come back down Remember when the fireflies lit the sky down by the lake The only glow in the Alabama night My kids have never seen it And probably never will The dark is gone, and with it goes the lights Maybe it's not the worst thing in the world This nostalgia lets me live in another time and another town Maybe it's the same thing as taking pictures with my camera But stay up too long, you can't come back down It's not retreat, not laying down command It's just my own little piece of no man's land But you have to feel good sometimes to be ready for the next time Maybe it's not the worst thing in the world This nostalgia lets me live in another time and another town Maybe it's the same thing as taking pictures with my camera But stay up too long, you can't come back down

It's been a hard year Maybe two, OK, three I know I've got you And you'll always have me There's more good than bad Keep telling me that I can see in this photo The moment before Your head started spinning And chair became floor Your last smile for days Frozen in place Our lives are two threads we've been weaving together I don't need a smooth tapestry Each bump on the way gives some much needed texture The loveliest thing that I've seen There's pain in the ridges but beauty in bridges They don't tell you love In large part contains Helplessly watching Your lover in pain I'd gladly agree to put it on me From two little boys who were there and then gone to asking the sky where your body went wrong we live with the ghosts can still laugh at jokes Our lives are two threads we've been weaving together I don't need a smooth tapestry Each bump on the way gives some much needed texture The loveliest thing that I've seen There's pain in the ridges but beauty in bridges We've had years where the blessings simply barged in and years that were bullets with our names carved in But through every one we've been side by side I want you to know I am satisfied Our lives are two threads we've been weaving together I don't need a smooth tapestry Each bump on the way gives some much needed texture The loveliest thing that I've seen There's pain in the ridges but beauty in bridges I can see in this photo The four of us there Waves in the background Wind in our hair I don't see the whys No pain in our eyes I want you to know I am satisfied

You can only get there by canoe Then you wade out to the far side Water so clear, sky so blue Have to see it with your own eyes Doesn't grow just anywhere Doesn't bloom by your watch Bit of magic, soft and rare Whole much greater than the parts My beautiful brown haired baby boy With the almond eyes and sly smile You fill my life with so much joy A river lily growing wild What you are is a Cahaba Lily Waiting for someone to come that far I'll paddle for miles, my joy is the journey I see you, hear you, know who you are We asked them how your day had been "Otis was just Otis" Well I hope that's how he always is Consider this our notice Some people just don't understand The treasure that they're seeing Don't listen to them, I'll hold your hand And I'm not ever leaving What you are is a Cahaba Lily Waiting for someone to come that far I'll paddle for miles, my joy is the journey I see you, hear you, know who you are I wish they could see you now Standing tall and blooming Your loveliness would shut their mouths I'm proud of all you're doing My beautiful brown haired baby boy With the almond eyes and sly smile You fill my life with so much joy A river lily growing wild What you are is a Cahaba Lily Waiting for someone to come that far I'll paddle for miles, my joy is the journey I see you, hear you, know who you are What you are is a Cahaba Lily Waiting for someone to come that far I'll paddle for miles, my joy is the journey I see you, hear you, know who you are

I've been thinking 'bout days that are long gone now I've been thinking 'bout days that are long gone now I've been thinking that my time with you is running out I've been thinking 'bout days that are long gone now I've been watching home movies and it feels so strange I've been watching home movies and it feels so strange With your peace sign and your pigtails on the edge of change I've been watching home movies and it feels so strange One day will be your last here under this roof We'll laugh when my tears embarrass you When you close that door for the final time I'll just tell myself: life's a circle, not a line I've been thinking 'bout the day that you took our last name I've been thinking 'bout the day that you took our last name We always said that if we made it then we'd never complain I've been thinking 'bout the day that you took our last name I've been thinking 'bout the first day you got on the stage I've been thinking 'bout the first day you got on the stage I've never seen that kind of confidence in someone your age I've been thinking 'bout the first day you got on the stage One day will be your last here under this roof We'll laugh when my tears embarrass you When you close that door for the final time I'll just tell myself: life's a circle, not a line I know it sounds like all I want to do is stop time But that isn't it at all You used to need me every minute now it's just sometimes You're not nearly so small But that's the way it's supposed to go and you know I'm not sad One day your childhood has to end I'll always be so proud to say I'm Irene's dad Now I get to be her friend One day will be your last here under this roof We'll laugh when my tears embarrass you When you close that door for the final time I'll just tell myself: life's a circle, not a line I've been thinking 'bout days that are long gone now

Cool spring morning, Ruffner Mountain The trees are finally green Trails are spread with spider webs Prettiest thing I've seen The air is wet, low clouds break The day will soon turn hot Cold brew waiting in the cooler Sad winter's gone, I'm not Cold days are gone Got my AC on Time to feed my sun obsession Flowers in bloom while I hum this tune No more seasonal depression Frogs are croaking in the creek again Music carries on the air Can finally turn my heat off And even my wife won't care Winter down here's not all that bad Some days you even break a sweat The only warmer place is Florida But I'm not that far gone yet Cold days are gone Got my AC on Time to feed my sun obsession Flowers in bloom while I hum this tune No more seasonal depression Cold days are gone Got my AC on Time to feed my sun obsession Flowers in bloom while I hum this tune No more seasonal depression Flowers in bloom No more gloom and doom Goodbye seasonal depression

There once was an acrobat who never came down Launched off the trapeze, said goodbye to the ground Her first thought was simply to catch the next bar But soaring through space made her think of the stars She glanced at the crowd, at the city beyond All she felt was a weight like a stone in a pond So knowing a trick should not be explained She kept rising up through the warm summer rain Jealous heads turned, yearning eyes lifted Speechless tongues stilled as up the girl drifted And they searched and they searched from the north to the south But the wink in her eye and the smile on her mouth Said they shouldn't be searching, such a foolish pursuit The tree that's less tethered is the one that bears fruit And you are an acrobat too safe and too snug Surrender the shelter of gravity's hug

J, I'm sure you're doing well family vacay, nice hotel Got good grades, top of the class Friends for days, kicking general ass And A, I bet you're right beside Football star with the innocent eyes Grew up strong as your dad's delight Trustworthy man, knows wrong from right At least that's what I tell myself these days Haven't seen you in ten years And even your tattoo Has begun to fade J, I bet you're writing books or lyrics, chords, and catchy hooks A, you're funny, you can make 'em laugh Bound to be someone's better half Maybe you left town before the fires swept down the canyon floors Safe strong house standing by the sand Minds both full of your future plans At least that's what I tell myself these days Haven't seen you in ten years And even your tattoo Has begun to fade I wonder what you're looking like all grown And what I'd say if we met face to face To you I'd be a stranger you'd somehow always known But I'd know you two instantly in any time or place And you'd ask me who I am As you searched my misty eyes Father, friend, thief, scam? Or just some random guy? Your initials on my skin Photos of your funny grins You're grinning now in my mind Things for you turned out just fine At least that's what I tell myself these days

Night falls fast on Birmingham Wraps like a shroud, smothers all the sound And something moves down the power line cut The power line cut Storm clouds build on a sick yellow moon Masks all light like a bandage on a wound And something moves down the power line cut The power line cut Locks click Rain falls Clocks tick Train calls Air goes still as crickets hush Shape melts back into the brush And something moves down the power line cut The power line cut Night's last jogger starts inside Hairs stand up as he feels eyes And something moves down the power line cut The power line cut Leaves drift Swings squeak Eaves shift Wings beat And something moves down the power line cut

Was your mind just like a time bomb? Did you know that it would blow? In your head a constant ticking Never letting you move on Did your mom have someone there to pick her up off of the floor? Was your brother catatonic still in shock out on the shore? I didn't know your name But I think of you so much Not brothers But connected by blood Looked your brother up on Facebook And he agreed to talk we helped each other make sense of Your final ocean walk How often did you call the line screaming to be saved? A lifetime of near misses Bend for decades, one day you break I didn't know your name But I think of you so much Not brothers But connected by blood Did you ever wonder what comes next Or where you'd go from here? Straight up to realms of endless sun No dark whispers in your ear If your next world's not safe and quiet If the smallest good's withheld If the gate is locked to fields of glory I'll sing you there myself I didn't know your name But I think of you so much Not brothers But connected by blood

Worked in an Apple Store when someone shit on the floor I got out pretty fast Woke up at 3AM to drive my route again Felt the years drag past Said my lines to them through the camera lens Paid those union dues The world is changing fast but just hold on I've got you I stand inside my booth imbuing words with truth And it's been a dream But sometimes it's not smart to make your job your art That's one muddy income stream Still my job's not me, it's just nine to three I'll do what I have to do The world is changing fast so just hold on I've got you The holding on is the hardest thing When all you want is to just stop worrying So I'm looking out for our next redoubt It might take a while But I pray each day it's not far away I miss those easy smiles I love your scars, they show how strong you are But strength needs respite too The world is changing fast This feeling will not last So just hold on I've got you

A Southern sun rises over the trees Air's full of water and the cries of geese Coffee's brewing hot on the counter inside I'm on the porch, guitar 'cross my thighs Wanting more would just tempt fate The finest woman's still asleep under the covers Just one body holding friend, muse, lover My beautiful boy and his sarcastic sister Laughing in the corner scheming like tricksters My whole world in just one place Summer, fall, winter, spring Too grown to worry 'bout the little things Beard's all grey and my face is getting lines I look how I feel and it's about damn time Want to set up shop, plant my flag in I've found my people, time to circle the wagons Earned more words but learned to talk less A quiet man with an unburdened chest Seen some things, bear a heavy load Smile's still real though my lips are closed The bad comes with the good Always wanted more, working and striving Heavy on the journey, light on the arriving Woke up one day, she's asleep by my side Realized I am satisfied Got more than I should Summer, fall, winter, spring Too grown to worry 'bout the little things Beard's all grey and my face is getting lines I look how I feel and it's about damn time Want to set up shop, plant my flag in I've found my people, time to circle the wagons If I could talk to my younger self I'd offer no advice Cuz skipping all the hard stuff's No way to live life Nothing I could say is gonna change your mind You just gotta live, and that takes time Don't give up, above all compassion You'll find your people and you'll circle the wagons

He's the interpreter Always someone else's words His own are hardly ever heard But he's got thoughts too He's the interpreter Can make the maestro's melodies soar While his own never leave the drawer But they ought to He's a hell of a storyteller Got to get him on the phone He's the one you want to hire As long as the story's not his own He's tried to get his thoughts down But the finishing's a bitch Take his pen and leave your manuscript He's finally found his niche He's the interpreter Always someone else's words His own are hardly ever heard But he's got thoughts too He's the interpreter Can make the maestro's melodies soar While his own never leave the drawer But they ought to His work once seemed so special Such a highly practiced skill Now computers do it cheaper They don't care that it's not real Time to get his shit together Work out his point of view Put the pencil to the paper Before computers take that too He's the interpreter Always someone else's words His own are hardly ever heard But he's got thoughts too He's the interpreter Can make the maestro's melodies soar While his own never leave the drawer But they ought to "Your ideas don't have a place here Just let the pros do what they do" But the thing he knows above all Is when the words just don't ring true He's the interpreter Always someone else's words His own are hardly ever heard But he's got thoughts too He's the interpreter Can make the maestro's melodies soar While his own never leave the drawer But they ought to

Well I never run at night time But I broke my rule tonight And on the trail the air around me Flashed with a hundred fireflies' lights I thought their lights were gone now The world too warm for them to cope On the surface it means nothing But the interpreter sees hope