1. GROWN

I work hard, day and night

Sometimes I just want to get high

You can't tell me I don't have the right

To smoke what I have earned

Feeling good ain't no kind of crime

So why so many folks doin' time?

10 years all for a dime?

You can't say what it's worth

When it grows here on earth

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I'm a grown man, I'm a grown man

I'm a grown man & I'll smoke whatever I choose

I'm a grown man - I'll deal my own hand

I'm a grown man - If I lose, I lose

It ain't about you

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I've been free, I've been in jail;

I've made a home riding the rails

I succeed half as much as I fail,

Then I deal with the consequence

I've been weak, I've been tough as nails;

I've beat the hell-hound on my trail

But that mother's still got my smell

I ain't seen the last of him

He'll be 'round again

(And when he does, I'll be ready for him)

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I'm a grown man, I'm a grown man

I'm a grown man & I deserve just a little peace

I'm a grown man - consider this my big stand

I'm a grown man so go & make room for me

Respectfully

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I'm a grown man, I'm a good man

I'm a good man but these days that don't mean shit

I'm a good man - like so many others have been

A whole lotta good men w/ nothing to show for it

 

I'm a good man, but it don't matter that I am

Cuz I'm a grown man and grown's all I gotta be

I'm a grown man - take me as I am

I'm a good man, but who's being good to me?

Ain't you supposed to be?

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2. HOME

I've been hitching for hours - my stomach is sour

My clothes are covered in sweat

I need a shower but ain’t got power

To even lift up my head

If a thing or two broke differently

I might have ended up dead

Now I’m down to the bone; all my layers are shed

They bled me bout as much as a man can be bled

Now the things ‘bout dying that thrill me

Outweigh the ones that I dread

I’m hitching, but I should be ditching this bitch of a hike instead

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Sometimes I can't tell if I'm high or if I'm dying

And if this is my time, well...am I satisfied?

'course, this is my time of dying, so I expect your li

In this holy moment please gleam hope in your eye

Say only sweet things when you say your goodbye 

Tell me all is forgiven; say we’ll meet on the other side

Just say what you gotta say to help me get by

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Isn't it a long way home?

Isn't it a long way? I wonder if it's even safe.

I wonder if it's even worth going

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I forgive you, girl

But make no mistake: I’m gonna dwell

I earned that much; burned that much

Putting up with your hell

You wonder why shit’s different

Well, baby, can’t you tell?

Just go follow the trail of our epic fails

And you'll see just where we fell.

I best that I run away, but I'm under your spell

It’s like I’m drawn; no, addicted

To the sound; to the smell

To the total deconstruction of my will
 

Isn’t it a long way home?

Isn’t it a long way? Couldn’t it be the wrong way?

I wonder if it’s even worth going

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No you ain't never safe

When the man's got a stake of your claim and he knows your address

Cuz if you don't pay then they gon' take away

All the things that you paid for in sweat

You cry and complain but all they can say is

"Boy that's just how it is"

I'm so ashamed that this is the state of the world

That I'm leaving to my kids

I really can't blame no woman or man

Who wants to blow it to bits

If you don’t hit first, you’re asking to be hit

Even set aflame, shit is still shit

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Isn’t it a long way home?

Isn’t it a long way? I doubt its gonna be the same

I wonder if it’s even worth going

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3. BEAST

Just this year I turned the age

My father was when he chose to leave

He popped in to help me turn the page

Then ducked back in memory

Will I ever see an age

Where there's no worry & I'm at peace?

Or is all this ignorant rage

Forever part of me?

 

Who is the rot

In our fucked-up family tree?

The bad seed?

Maybe it’s me

 

Ten years ago, I was an age

To jam with Stills at Monterey

I was good enough to be on that stage

To carve out my own legacy

But now I sit back in my cage

Settled in to my end phase

I share Deja Vu on my page

All my good guitars put away

 

He sings of many colored beasts

And it hits me sad & deep

Maybe the beast is me

Maybe it’s me

 

The easiest to break 

Are those who never got to be free

And for that, who’s guilty?

Maybe it’s me

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4. DESTINY

I cry when the wind blows and I'm not there to know

If you’re scared or if you’re being brave

No, it doesn’t seem fair that I can’t be there

To keep you warm and keep you safe

Baby, how’d it get to this?

 

I keep thinking ‘bout Christmas morn’

You wake me up at dawn

You pour some coffee in my daddy cup

But this year, you’re with Mom

I hope you’re having fun

I just miss you both so much

 

I can’t put into words

How much I love you girls

I just hope you really know it’s true

 

Even from afar, I love you

Wherever you are, I’ll run to

I’ll be the stars above you 

I know I’m not there, babies

But if you look up high

We’ll write our destiny across the sky

 

Now, I'm thinking 'bout them early days

Such a lovely haze of music and sex and weed

Well, some of that has been replace

By the sad truths of our age

But you are still the only one I need

 

To go dancing through

All those lovely nights in June

Then huddle with when the cold wind starts to blow

 

The winters are long and lonely

So come spend this one with me

I'll keep you warm, and you me

Cuz when you’re near me, baby

The sun does truly shine

And we’ll blow our destiny in clouds across the sky

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When mommy’s watching Buffy and the girls are off at play

I pick you up and we dance ‘round the room, face to face

I shake your shoulders to the rhythm of drums & bass

And I see that perfect smile flash over your face

And I know you that got something deep inside of you

That runs through me and ran through my daddy too

It’s the soul - it’s the groove

It’s a dream I get to share everyday with you

 

Yes, I love my father

Just like I hope you love me

Yes, I love my mother

Just like I want for you and mommy

Yes, I love my sister

Just like I want for you and Liv & Jules

Yes, I love my brother

Just like I know they're gonna love you

 

My baby boy

My one true pride and joy

My only true debt is to you

 

If I tell you I'm strong, I'm lying

The days without you are long - I'm dying

I've gotten so much wrong, but I keep trying

The winters are long and lonely

So come spend this one with me 

I’ll do my best, family

To do everything just right

And we’ll write our destiny

In breath ‘cross the cold, dark sky

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5. DEBT

It's another one of those hard times

We always seem to face

Maybe you don’t realize

I try and wear a brave face

Life can be so heavy

So heavy and sad sometimes

I hope I'm not heavy too when I'm leaning on you

Baby, if I am I apologize

 

It was just after your 7th birthday

I remember it well

Repo man took my car away

Another day of hell

Aunt Mary sent you a card

Belated birthday cash

One for you, 19 for me

My own rainy day stash

The legit emergency stash

 

You know I never take nothing that I want

But sometimes I gotta take what I need

But I'll pay you back

I'll pay you back, I promise you

 

Sometimes I just can't take it

My eyes well up with tears

We're all entitled to a break down or two

I've had my share these last few years

You asked me why I was crying

So I lied & said a good friend was moving away

I won’t admit it; I feel like I'm dying

But you dried my eyes anyway

No one could take your place

 

You're such a good girl, baby

You don't deserve dealing with my shit

I'll pay you back, I promise you

I'll pay you back, somewhere down the line

 

If I'm planning on tomorrow, baby

That proves I'll ride this out with you

I'll pay you back

I'll pay you back, I promise you

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6. VOWS

Just realized I've got few more years left

Of being down - of being cool

Of being something that someone

Might want to do

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Girl, you must think it's easy

Putting up all with all of your mess

You are so used to ;laying the victim

You end up believing it

Ain't that some shit?

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I swore I'd love you forever more

But sweet baby, that was before

You got so cruel

Or maybe you're not and I made that up

To justify that I'm breaking up

Me and you

Well, what can you do?

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Promises are only something to make

If you can handle them being broken

Leaving's just one of the vows that we break

Baby it's not the end of the world

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Didn't you ever think I'd need someone

On whose lap I could lay my head

When the world was beating me down?

But I stayed in your bed

(Or so you said)

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Maybe it sounds like I'm passing blame

But love's failure's a two-man game

And that means you, too

I've counted up all my mistakes

Licked my wounds, now I'm on my way

To something new

Anyone but you

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Promises are only something to make

If you can handle them being broken

Lying's just one of the vows that we break

Baby it's not the end of the world

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I bet you tell her it's all my fault

Baby, whatever gets you off

Ain't my concern

I'm just glad that I'm free to choose

Someone else who's nothing like you

I lived; I learned

Another page, turned

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Promises are only something to make

If you can handle them being broken

Cheating's just one of the vows that we break

Baby it's not the end of the world

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7. ARMS

I’ve come a long way with you baby

But I’ve still got a long way to go

For I can say that you don’t move me

In fact I don’t really know

What it is, what it was

What it probably will always be

That makes me so scared of you

And makes you so mad at me

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Our past is just a blur, babe

The sound of a troubled ocean

We're a shell of who we were, baby 

We’re the ghost whose chains won’t be broken

I understand that we once swore forever

Technically, being at war is still being together

 

Lay down your arms

Drop your defenses

Like it was before the frost

Swallowed us up

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Something inside me is always gonna

Give you chance after chance

And so I’d rather surrender

I’m extending my hand

The only way you and I could ever do us proud

Is to take a pill & kill that bug that’s going ‘round

 

Lay down your arms

Bury your anger like it was

When we were young

And there was still a chance for us

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8. BOSS

I keep on trying, but I ain’t getting nowhere

No use in crying a stream of wasted tears

My time of dying seems like it’s drawing near

I’m done complying w/ what everybody wants to hear

 

It’s my life - it’s my breath

It’s my right to say what I want with it

 

I’m not what I used to be

Nothing that’d make you proud

I’m not even a vague facsimile

You might as well just mourn me now

But who among us can claim to be?

Don’t we all feel a little run down?

Dragging our minds & our feet

You can’t blame me if I wanna check out

 

It’s my life; it’s my death

It’s my right to be proud of it

And yet here I am...

 

They the boss, you the hoss

It’s a loss, cuz

Ain't no shame in that

Got their claws in all of us

Always will & was

'S just a natural fact, jack

They the boss, you the hoss

It's your cross, cuz

To carry on your back

Until you up and make the choice

To fight and raise your voice

And make a change

 

Son, they’re building you

Just to build their building machines

And straight up it’s killing you

In ways seen and unseen

They're only giving you

The things that they say you need

Why are you so willing to

Be the pawns that guard their greed?

 

It’s your life

It’s your breath

It’s your right to do what you want to do with it

Cuz until then, son...

 

It’s our lives - it’s our breath

It’s our chance to make something of it

Or naw?

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9. UNDERNEATH

I spent a night in the county jail

The cops were ugly, there - just mean as hell

I secretly hoped you'd pay my bail

But then I fell asleep

I didn't do nothing, but oh well

They'll believe anything that a woman tells

A woman like that has a special place in hell

And that's another place I can't be

You know, cuz the heat

And I can't be underneath

I can't breathe, I can't breathe

 

We got stoned, but it wasn't that great

You didn't wanna hear what I had to say

Don't know why I always go to that place

I don't get high - I get deep

You clicked on your phone and you turned away

So I dropped to the floor, my favorite place to lay

Then you tried to lay on top of me

But I couldn't sleep

I need some breeze and I can't be underneath

I can't breathe, I can't breathe

 

My time has really come and gone

If I ain't made a mark by now, I probably won't

But I can still have me a little bit of fun

And just coast through my days

I sell loosies cuz it's easy green

I sell out quick, and get me home by 3

I just wish these cops would stop harassing me

And here comes one my way

He doesn't seem to hear me when I say

I can't be underneath

I can't breathe, I can't breathe

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10. LANDMINE

Sirens in the distance on grey Sunday morn

Even passive resistance is resistance

You've been warned

Safer just to stay in

Hashtag movements, help the cause

Cuz out here on the street?

Like I said, you've been warned

 

When dreams are finally broken

Man, you die every day

And every lie they've spoken's

Another twist of the blade

You're lost! You can't find your way 

Homeward through the haze

Then you start to realize

You're trapped in their maze

 

Hate is just a landmine

One that we walk into all the time

Purposefully placed there with designs

To blow our minds

Keeps us in line

 

They shape the information that shapes the way we choose

The last thing they want's for us to know the truth

Just look around: you & I are pitted in a duel

I'm willing to lay down my arms - are you?

 

Hate is just a landmine

One that we walk into all the time

Purposefully placed there with designs

To blow our minds

Keeps us in line

 

Sirens in the distance, late Saturday night

Someone else took a chance & lost the fight

We know it’s wrong and wish somebody would go and make it right

Guess we’ll find out what happened in the morning light

 

Fear is just a landmine

One that we walk into all the time

Purposefully placed there with designs

To blow our minds

Keeps us in line

 

Hate is just a landmine

Fear is just a landmine

War is just a landmine

Greed is just a landmine

Apathy's a landmine

Tr*mp is just a landmine

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11. BLOOD

I'm sick about this damned election

I'm sick of my parents' generation fucking up

Where do we go when we need protection

When it's our elders that fucked everything up

I don't mean to be vulgar

But right now, there's no time for slowing up

You back down, they go for the jugular

And we wonder why we're in this rut

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You can squeeze blood from a stone

But it will be your own

 

Hey, you there - shouting on the other side

I bet you're in the same kind of steady funk

Ain't nobody signed up for this crazy ride

But right now we're all hurting with every bump

But you gotta know that winning is losing

When you're winning with anger and greed

Live your life, boy, to your choosing

Just don't hate somebody else for choosing differently

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You can squeeze blood from a stone

But it will be your own

 

When the hammer gets thrown down

Are you man enough to bow out

To show you understand that either way you lose

Time goes so fast

We're gonna regret that it passed

In battle & not turning around these blues

That should bother you too

 

It feels like you want me to hit you

You throw your words at me with the anger of a punch

I got some words I wanna spit, too

Names? Oh I bet we could call each other a bunch 

But I got a different scene to lay on you

Cuz, brother, I got a hunch

If you lay your arms down, you'll realize who preys on you

Squeezing you to make back every dollar

They spent on your free lunch

 

You measure strength as how much you hurt me

Proud of all the damage you do

I find strength in those won't desert me

When I'm under siege from people like you

Well, boy, if you's strong as you say you are

Why don't you go fix a thing or two

Instead of making everybody pay for the way you are

Pay for someone else

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12. HOPE

I forgot my place, son - forgot the way things go

I wear a brave face to th'world, but I'm sure everybody knows

Some folks get all the breaks and others are just broke

And I'm one of them poor folks

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This is where I'm at, now; worse than I've ever been

Some people tell me I should feel proud, but they don't understand

They say "boy, your time will come", but they can't tell me when!

And I ain't holding my breath, cuz...

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Hope is a dangerous thing

Hope wakes you up

When it's so nice to be sleeping

Yeah, hope is a dangerous thing

​

I kept looking for a savior in everyone that I met

Changed all my behaviors so much that now I forget

Who or what I am, but either way, it's shit

Be glad with what you get, cuz

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Hope is a dangerous thing

Hope is a dangerous thing

Hope makes you think

It's noble to die trying (But it ain't!)

Yeah, hope is a dangerous thing

Hope is a dangerous thing

 

What's that they talk about? Mojo?

Well, I've run outta juice

Maybe I can get myself back into playing shape

But it probably ain't no use

These young kids coming up, they got all the moves

I'm just old news

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Hope is a dangerous thing

Hope's just the fall

That makes you feel like you're flying (But you ain't!)

Yeah, hope is a dangerous thing

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13. DIVINE

I can't help but wonder what's wrong with me

Why everything is a blunder; why there's always misery.

But now, forty years in, it's clear as air

I'm really nothing and they don't even care

I'm laying down tracks on the fly

For the runaway train that is my life

I'll probably never get to enjoy the ride

I thought I'd ride this rail to the end of the line

That was until I realized I wasn't divine

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Baby, it hurts all over and I ain't even that old

I feel that weight on my shoulders, like it was foretold

I carried plenty of cross, lord, but never bore no crown

Some folks can get lost, lord, and never be found

Maybe I'm a marked man

Cursed because of who I really am

Punished for being the next in line

I do believe if tested, I'd outshine

I'd prove that He could be bested

That I'm just as divine

 

It's just so unfair

What makes someone else a worthy heir?

Why him? Why her? Why not I?

Is it legit his will? Is it a grand design?

I shouldn't have to die until I get to be divine

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