Bite My Tongue

Seal my lips

Bite my tongue

My wisdom’s ancient

My heart is young

I’m on the fence

Then I’m on the run

No needle in my arm

Still the damage done

Thanks Neil Young

You helpless soldier

In the war against dirt

All these jagged chords

And ragged mouths

Singing the same song

Until the city goes up in smoke

I’ll never know how

Those old blues singers died

Without their shoes tied

And a library card expired

Fuck you cancer

For killing my friend

And killing his career

He was just a fearless soldier

In the war against fear

I moved too much

From place to place

Not like a traveler

More like a slave

I am now a lost soul

With more self control

Then I had before

When I had none at all

My eyes are crooked

My elbow’s shot

My poetry is primitive

It needs a new grave

I dig for answers

In the rubble of an old midnight train

Money escapes me

So does the rain

I’m blowing in the wind

Like an out of state plate

Dropping off passengers

On the way to the zoo

But I fear only money

And loneliness too

I wasn’t made for these times

I’m an out of place Jew

Who puts value in good weather

And a valiant try

Fighting rough against my judgment

Though I don’t really see why

My instincts are sharp

Like a paper cut trail

And if you follow me slowly

You’ll be doomed to fail

Fuck you cancer

For trying to steal my mom

She’s done nothing to no one

Except for her own

My father’s a dead man

Though he still lives all alone

Sometimes I catch him

On some old telephone

He says the same damn things

Again and again

I never listen

I don’t even pretend

That I’m better than I was

Or better than I’ll be

I’m just trying to live

Without a shadow behind me

So I sing all the time

And pretend it’s all fine

I go to sleep with a body full

And a head full of wine

There’s no safety in numbers

There’s no thrill in the chase

I fill up on heartache

And go running in place

Till I fall over backwards

And hum some song that I’ve made

To take over my body

And rearrange my face

I am no fearless vampire killer

Drinking bad blood while dancing to Thriller

And I’ll never get a job under uncertain weather

So hire me, fire me, and let me be better