Sunday, September 4, 2011

E.C.T. (Riding Horses in the Snow)

Well, Dad may not be always be quite 
         right, but he ain't wrong
He's just been up thinking too hard 
        for way too long
All through the night and into 
        the dawn
And still the leaves fall and 
    they cover the lawn
One thing in life I've surely learned
Some bridges there are that just
      won't burn
A shooting star is no bigger than 
      a grain of sand
The universe fits in the palm
      of your hand


There's comet dust in everyone's hair
Mom won't ever tell why Dad's not here
The boat draws near the far shore
The spectre in the mirror is there no more

                                                                                       


Tell me, my son, which way does the Nile flow?
Dad's not here, and only he knows
Where is he this time, where did he go?
He's gone again, and only he knows
My dad is riding horses in the snow
My dad is out riding horses in the snow


Look, did you see, that was him
That ghost in the bleachers at the end of the gym
Dad, Dad, I missed you, I'm so glad you came
Which one are you, son, I can't remember 
      your names
Boys, are you home, how were your games?
Mom, Dad was there but he wasn't the same
His eyes were vacant, he had rain in his hair
He couldn't have been, coldly, she said
      your father wasn't there
I knew different though
I'd traced every hollow in his face
Love was like a comfortable silence
      between us
A voice in the wilderness, saving grace


Tell me, my son, which way does the Nile flow?
Dad's not here, and only he knows
Where is he this time, where did he go?
He's gone again, and only he knows
My dad is riding horses in the snow
My dad is out riding horses in the snow


A man reads newspapers
A man reads books
A man sometimes drinks too much
And don't much care how he looks
A man gives without asking
A man cares for the poor
A man always has room at his table
Even when the wolf howls at his door
A man ain't redeemed
A man ain't saved
A man weeps like Jesus
At his own child's grave


Tell me my son, which way does the Nile flow>
Dad's not here, and only he knows
Where is he this time, where did he go?
He's gone again, and only he knows
My dad is riding horses in the snow
My dad is out riding horses in the snow

So how many times were you crucified?
How many denied?
I'll remember for you
I was the one who cried
For you, when you fell down in the rain
When the wires fell off the roof
And the night burst into flames
And then the cops came
Hey, Dad, you should see what they're trying this time
The fog hangs low around the trees 
        and the melting snow
The houses on the hillside look lonesome,
      but there's still plenty of money around
And off to war once more we go

Tell me my son, which way does the Nile flow?
Dad's not here, and only he knows
Where is he this time, where did he go?
He's gone again, and only he knows
My dad is riding horses in the snow
My dad is out riding horses in the snow

And didn't you see it all already?
Out there leaning on the fence, 
    attended by crows
With the leaves burning in a 
    rusty barrel
The ashes swirling every which 
    way the wind blows
Some of us got sick
Some of us died
Some of us did better than others
All the time we tried
Always we loved one another
Mostly we laughed, though 
    sometimes we cried
 

And as long as the story is good enough
We never say anyone lied


Tell me, my son, which way does the Nile flow
Dad's not here, and only he knows
Where is he this time, where did he go?
He's gone again. and only he knows
My dad is riding horses in the snow
My dad is out riding horses in the snow


Well, Dad's not in a bar
And he's not in the yard 
    hanged from a tree
And he didn't wreck the car
He's just somewhere else 
    he needs to be
And he's not in the 
    red-brick dungeon
Hooked up to the 
    lightning machines
And he's not in a hospital 
    bed neither
His life counted out on 
    instrument screens
The question's asked 
    without speaking
Or maybe I just thought you'd want to know
My dad is out riding horses in the snow
Dad is riding horses 
     In the snow. . . . in the snow




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