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Genuine. Quirky. Rootsy.
It Takes Two Wings
Just a simple song
About a couple of wings
About gravity
And its effect on things
With just one wing
You’d go flapping around
You’d never be able
To get off of the ground
It takes two wings
And maybe a prayer
If you do take off
Just to stay in the air
Whether you start from here
Or you start from there
It takes two wings
To go anywhere
It takes two wings
Or it won’t fly straight
It’ll just stay stuck
In a figure eight
Points of view
We can debate
But it takes two wings
Or it won’t fly straight
With two wings
You can look down
On the angry mob
Terrorizing the town
And you might see things
Like you never could
With two wings
You might even see some good
It takes two wings
A leap of faith
A little respect
A touch of grace
It takes trust
Some luck and skill
It takes two wings
And a little goodwill
Just a simple song
About a couple of wings
About gravity
And heavy things
You’ll have some scrapes
You’ll get your dings
If it’s gonna fly
It takes two wings
It takes trust
Some luck and skill
It takes two wings
And a little goodwill
2. HALF THE PEOPLE
Half The People
Half the people are looking to rumble
The other half are spoiling for a fight
The logic that they’re using is all jumbled
But who needs facts when you know you’re right?
Half the people nowadays are bonkers
The other half have all gone insane
Everybody everywhere looks angry
And they need to blame somebody for their pain
Half the news you get today is phony
The other half you get today is fake
What’s real is the independent journalist
Who gets tortured but refuses to break
Half the people have lost their marbles
The other half have all lost their minds
On top of that we’ve become so heartless
Underneath it all we must’ve lost our spines
Half the people are just plain coo-coo
The other half are just plain loony toons
Bite your tongue, you can’t talk sense to any of ‘em
They hate you when you burst their balloons
Half the people have gone crazy
The other half have all gone mad
And I could make a fortune selling bridges
If I hadn’t sold the last one that I had
Half the people have no idea
The other half, they haven’t got a clue
They’ll believe anything anyone’ll tell them
Unless it can be proven to be true
Half the people are just plain coo-coo
The other half are just plain loony toons
Bite your tongue, you can’t talk sense to any of ‘em
They hate you when you burst their balloons
Half the people are talking rubbish
The other half are all just talking crap
You’ve got to be careful and remind yourself
Not to take the bait and step into a trap
Half the people nowadays are bonkers
The other half have all gone insane
Everybody everywhere looks angry
And they need to blame somebody for their pain
Half the people are just plain coo-coo
The other half are just plain loony toons
Bite your tongue, you can’t talk sense to any of ‘em
They hate you when you burst their balloons
1. IT TAKES TWO WINGS
Bully Jim
It’s reckoning time for Bully Jim
Take a number if you’re looking to get even with him
Of all the bad ones he was the worst
He’d have shot all the women & children first
Rude and rotten to his core
There was nothing he ever said “Sorry” for
He’d push you off the Jungle Gym
This world is full of bullies like him
Bully Jim in the 7th grade
Even the teachers were afraid
‘Cause he never learned the Golden Rule
And he might’ve never graduated school
Nobody ever was more despised
Just ask anyone he terrorized
He had the devil in his eyes
He picked on people half his size
I can only imagine him later in life
If he ever got married did he beat his wife?
If he had any kids did he beat them too?
‘Cause that’s what bullies too often’ll do
I wonder if he ever could hold down a job
Maybe he’s a hitman for the mob
Maybe he’s out there stealing cars
Maybe he’s somewhere behind bars
It wouldn’t surprise me if he was dead
Better he should have to live with himself instead
He was nasty, he was mean
I can picture his bones down in the ravine
People can turn around, time can heal
Love might’ve found him and taken the wheel
He could have reformed, some people do
But he was the awfullest I ever knew
3. BULLY JIM
How I Changed His Mind
After three or four tries I poked out his eyes
That’s how I got him to see
To get him to hear I screamed in his ear
And I gave him the third degree
I sharply berated him, told him I hated him
I wasn’t very kind
I shouted and cussed until I won his trust
That’s how I changed his mind
I shunned him, ignored him, I wouldn’t look toward him
I only would give him my back
I accused him of lies, I would not compromise
I erased him after the fact
I was abrupt, I’d often interrupt
We were volatile when combined
And in stating my case I blew up in his face
That’s how I changed his mind
That’s how I changed his mind
That’s how I changed his mind
I blamed him, shamed him, insulted and inflamed him
That’s how I changed his mind
This man was an ass, I was gonna let him pass
Let him take a wide berth of me
I was right & he was wrong & I was telling him all along
Trying to just get him to see
But he’s a this & I’m a that, so we couldn’t have a chat
Of the friendly and civilized kind
Round after round I just ground him down
That’s how I changed his mind
I stomped on his toes and I punched him in the nose
I was using irony
So sure of the truth I knocked out his tooth
And I kicked him twice in the knee
I won over his heart with a poisonous dart
And you should have seen me unwind
Being overly cruel, and with ridicule
That’s how I changed his mind
That’s how I changed his mind
That’s how I changed his mind
I blamed him, shamed him, insulted and inflamed him
That’s how I changed his mind
So I called him a fool, challenged him to a duel
I threw my white glove in his face
Twenty paces and I shot and I must’ve hit the spot
Anyway, that’s how I pleaded my case
I won in the end after making him bend
And after all of the papers were signed
In the end I won and that’s how it was done
That’s how I changed his mind
That’s how I changed his mind
That’s how I changed his mind
I blamed him, shamed him, insulted and inflamed him
That’s how I changed his mind
I blamed him, shamed him, I might have even maimed him
That’s how I changed his mind
4. HOW I CHANGED HIS MIND
5. THE THINGS YOU THING YOU KNOW
The Things You Think You Know
The things you think you know
They aren’t really so
But you insist they’re true
A lot of people do
It would shock you if you knew
And you’d be angry too
But that takes letting go
Of the things you think you know
The things you think you know
You believe them even though
They can be disproved
But you’re not even moved
It’s not what you believe
You can’t even conceive
Of that first domino
The things you think you know
That’s what you don’t know
The things you think you do
You go on and blow
Until you’re good and blue
I’ll tell you even though
There’s no convincing you
But that’s what you don’t know
The things you think you do
The things you think you know
Were like that long ago
But not so much today
You really have to go back a ways
To when there wasn’t any grey
You only had to hope and pray
And maintain the status quo
The things you think you know
The things you think you know
Excuse me, but hello?
Who’s telling you these things?
And who’s pulling the strings?
But who knows more than you?
None of the experts do
Anyway, there you go
The things you think you know
That’s what you don’t know
The things you think you do
You go on and blow
Until you’re good and blue
I’ll tell you even though
There’s no convincing you
But that’s what you don’t know
The things you think you do
The things you think you know
That warm and cozy glow
It’s mostly good for show
It gives you comfort though
You keep stoking the fire
To get it going higher
You won’t let it lie low
The things you think you know
That’s what you don’t know
The things you think you do
You go on and blow
Until you’re good and blue
I’ll tell you even though
There’s no convincing you
But that’s what you don’t know
The things you think you do
Face That You Remember
Today’s the day you used to wonder
If you would ever live to see
They’ve finally brought the man to justice
What kind of justice will there be?
Nobody knew a thing about him
He never talked about his past
It was a shock to all the neighbors
When it caught up with him at last
He changed his name in Argentina
He grew a beard and dyed his hair
He bought a farm and raised a family
And even they were unaware
It’s not the face that you remember
It’s not the one who you despise
Today he’s frail and he’s remorseful
No skull & cross bones in his eyes
Today he’s in his early nineties
And just a week ago he fell
Some want for him to die in prison
Some wish he’d just go straight to hell
He sits and listens to the charges
He doesn’t offer a defense
He doesn’t say he followed orders
He doesn’t claim his innocence
He looks at you and not the jury
They will decide if he should live
He is not asking them for mercy
He could not ask you to forgive
You practiced how you would confront him
You thought you came to seek revenge
You thought that he was less than human
He used to look through that same lens
But when he whispered he was sorry
The only words that he would speak
It was the justice that you came for
You let him kiss you on the cheek
Today he’s in his early nineties
And just a week ago he fell
Some want for him to die in prison
Some wish he’d just go straight to hell
But when he whispered he was sorry
The only words that he would speak
It was the justice that you came for
You let him kiss you on the cheek
6. FACE THAT YOU REMEMBER
The Country Needed Baseball
The country needed baseball
The boys were overseas
Fighting with the Germans
And the Japanese
Just beyond the outfield
The flag blew in the breeze
The girls were wearing blouses
And skirts above the knees
The country needed baseball
And the girls were really good
The sounds were therapeutic
Of the cowhide meeting wood
They hustled and got dirty
Skinned their elbows and their knees
And for a couple precious hours
People’s minds could be at ease
The country needed baseball
Like you’d need a cigarette
When you’ve gone too long without one
But you still can’t have one yet
And your loved one’s in the trenches
With a gun and bayonet
And you’re stuck there waiting tables
At the corner luncheonette
The country needed baseball
To give itself a lift
Not every patriotic woman
Had to fill a factory shift
Some could hit a curveball
Others could throw strikes
Some would run you over
Or they’d cut you with their spikes
The country needed baseball
On Sunday afternoons
The stadiums would fill up
There’d be banners and balloons
There were Crackerjack and peanuts
Hot dogs, beer, and Coke
And just like when the boys played
It all taste like cigar smoke
7. THE COUNTRY NEEDED BASEBALL
Cup Of Coffee
There was orange on the radar
In some places it was red
He saw it on the tv
While he was still in bed
Room service brought him breakfast
Some good coffee as well
He could get used to staying
At a Major League hotel
It was raining hard that morning
The whole day it would pour
He would just stare out the window
From the 27th floor
The night before at supper
Some joint in Buffalo
The Skipper called to tell him
He was going to The Show
Text messages and emails
Were blowing up his phone
From all his friends and family
Everyone he’d ever known
His folks flew in from Boston
His wife just made her flight
They all got there the next day
To see him pitch that night
He put his Big League pants on
And he tied his Big League shoes
While a couple of Big Leaguers
Were giving interviews
His name was in the line up
He was mentioned on the news
He’d knocked around a dozen years for this
He’d even pitched in Vera Cruz
So he walked out through that tunnel
To stand on a Big League mound
His tears mixed with the raindrops
And he felt like he might drown
He squeezed a Big League baseball
Ran his fingers along the seams
The rain was cruel and stung him
As it washed away his dreams
It was flooded in the dugout
It was a lonely place to sit
He thought of going to Korea
Or maybe it was time to quit
And how next time they need a pitcher
They’d probably call up some kid
And every time thereafter
That’s exactly what they did
The tarp was never lifted
And that storm never let up
It’s like he got his cup of coffee
Without the coffee cup
They let him keep his jersey
They boxed it soaking wet
And that was as close to the Majors
As he would ever get
Now you can say “That’s Baseball”
Especially if you never played
But for the guy who worked his ass off
And who’s dues were overpaid
It’s been all he’s ever wanted
Ever since the 7th grade
Congratulations were in order
But condolences were paid
No, that tarp was never lifted
And that storm never let up
It’s like he got his cup of coffee
Without the coffee cup
8. CUP OF COFFEE
If This Is It
If this is it, the blink of an eye
And there’s no time to say goodbye
I’ll just leave a little note
That you might read the words I wrote
If this is it ‘cause you just don’t know
You have no say when it’s your time to go
I wish you joy and I wish you peace
If for one of us all should cease
This too perhaps will someday pass
But if this should be our parting glass
May it go down smooth, may it leave you warm
’Til we meet again in another form
And if the road has run out
I hope somewhere a seed will sprout
That I might’ve dropped and never knew
Or maybe I planted it someplace for you
If this is it and my work is done
And I don’t finish what I’ve begun
I let them go just like balloons
The unsung words and the unplayed tunes
My aim was true, every verse I wrote
Every chord I struck, every single note
Every mile I drove was to come see you
There was no such thing as just passing through
So if this is it, my last song
It’s meant to be sung just before the dawn
When you still see stars and it’s getting light
And you’re ready to call it a pretty good night
You still see stars and it’s getting light
You’re ready to call it a pretty good night
9. IF THIS IS IT
It Takes Two Wings (Piano)
Just a simple song
About a couple of wings
About gravity
And its effect on things
With just one wing
You’d go flapping around
You’d never be able
To get off of the ground
It takes two wings
And maybe a prayer
If you do take off
Just to stay in the air
Whether you start from here
Or you start from there
It takes two wings
To go anywhere
It takes two wings
Or it won’t fly straight
It’ll just stay stuck
In a figure eight
Points of view
We can debate
But it takes two wings
Or it won’t fly straight
With two wings
You can look down
On the angry mob
Terrorizing the town
And you might see things
Like you never could
With two wings
You might even see some good
It takes two wings
A leap of faith
A little respect
A touch of grace
It takes trust
Some luck and skill
It takes two wings
And a little goodwill
Just a simple song
About a couple of wings
About gravity
And heavy things
You’ll have some scrapes
You’ll get your dings
If it’s gonna fly
It takes two wings
It takes trust
Some luck and skill
It takes two wings
And a little goodwill
10. IT TAKES TWO WINGS (BONUS)
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