Baggage

(album: American Band - 2016)

I was listening to the radio when they said that you were gone
Already feeling more than just a little down
Mood swings run rampant on both sides of my family
Like an albatross I carry around
I never ever met you but it shook me all the same
Life was better for the happiness you brought
For the joyride that you took us on and rocky roads we landed on
Whiplashed by the demons that you fought

Fighting with the baggage that is pulling down on me
Like an undertow pulls into the sea
It lights our daily struggle till it's hard to separate
You from all the darkness in me

Some asswipe on TV said that you should be ashamed
For your cowardice in facing down your flaws
I'm not sure what makes me sadder, all that talent up in flames
Or the lack of understanding that it wrought

Tossing off the baggage that is pulling down on me
Toss it in the river and be free
Move so close together, only inches separate
You from all the darkness in me

I'm not seeking explanations for this thing that you did
A thin line separates the laughter from despair
I've had my own depression since I was just a kid
But been blessed with the means to repair
There's this baggage that we carry and some sweetness locked within
Just be careful where you implement the straps
All this weight can be salvation when the air is much too thin
But it can pull you down too far to climb back out

Tossing off the baggage that is pulling down on me
Toss it in the river and be free
Move so close together, only inches separate
You from all the darkness in me
Tossing off the baggage, too much weight too much drag-gage
All this freight can put you six feet in the ground
Nothing left to do but try to keep it all together
Better off without the baggage that I carry around, carry around, carry around