Almanakone - Not Greg

I lived awhile without you, Darn near half my life. I no longer see our unborn children, Born to you my unwed wife. But yesterday I had a vision, Beneath the tree where we once talked, Of an old couple burning Their love letters so their children Won't be shocked. Love calls like the wild birds It's another day. A Spring wind blew my list of Things to do... away. My friends are gettin' older, So I guess I must be too. Without their loving kindness, I don't know what I'd do. Oh the wine bottle's half empty The money's all spent. And we're a cross between our parents And hippies in a tent. Love calls like the wild birds It's another day. A Spring wind blew my list of Things to do... away. In a mucked up lovely river, I cast my little fly. I look at that river and smell it And it makes me wanna cry. Oh to clean our dirty planet, Now there's a noble wish, And I'm puttin' my shoulder to the wheel 'Cause I wanna catch some fish. Love calls like the wild birds It's another day. A Spring wind blew my list of Things to do... away. Children go to sleep now You know it's gettin' late. I know you don't like to miss nothin' And school ain't that great. Oh, I'll dance with you when you're happy, And hold you when you're sad, And hope you know how glad I am, Just to be you're Dad. Love calls like the wild birds It's another day. A Spring wind blew my list of Things to do... away. Darlin' it's been a hard go But I think we'll be okay. I know I say that all the time Like everything else I say. Oh, I've been gone so often, But every time I miss you, And I don't really know nothin', Except I like to kiss you. Love calls like the wild birds It's another day. A Spring wind blew my list of Things to do... away.

Down by the river junior year Walking with my girl, And we came upon a place There in the tall grass where a couple Had been making love And left the mark of their embrace. I said to her, "Looks like they had some fun." She said to me, "Let's do the same." And still I taste her kisses And her freckles in the sun When I play the poet game. A young man down in hill country In the year of '22 Went to see his future bride. She lived in a rough old shack That poverty blew through. She invited him inside. She'd been cooking, ashamed and feeling sad, She could only offer him bread and her name - Grandpa said that it was the best gift A fella ever had And he taught me the poet game. I had a friend who drank too much And played too much guitar - And we sure got along. Reel-to-reels rolled across The country near and far With letters poems and songs. But these days he don't talk to me And he won't tell me why. I miss him every time i say his name. I don't know what he's doing Or why our friendship died While we played the poet game. The fall rain was pounding down On an old New Hampshire mill And the river wild and high. I was talking to her while leaves blew down Like a sudden chill - There was wildness in her eyes. We made love like we'd been waiting All of our lives for this - Strangers know no shame - But she had to leave at dawn And with a sticky farewell kiss Left me to play the poet game. I watched my country turn into A coast-to-coast strip mall And I cried out in a song: If we could do all that in thirty years, Then please tell me you all - Why does good change take so long? Why does the color of your skin Or who you choose to love Still lead to such anger and pain? And why do I think it's any help For me to still dream of Playing the poet game? Sirens wail above the fields - Another soul gone down - Another Sun about to rise. I've lost track of my mistakes, Like birds they fly around And darken half of my skies. To all of those I've hurt - I pray you'll forgive me. I to you will freely do the same. So many things I didn't see, With my eyes turned inside, Playing the poet game. I walk out at night to take a leak Underneath the stars - Oh yeah that's the life for me. There's Orion and the Pleiades And I guess that must be Mars - All as clear as we long to be. I've sung what I was given - Some was bad and some was good. I never did know from where it came And if I had it all to do again I am not sure I would Play the poet game.