My Petition

(album: Water & Bridges - 2006)

I just sat down to watch the game when I heard the doorbell ring
An' I wondered who in the world it could be
Through the peephole, all that I saw there
Was a crooked cap on curly hair an' some kid squinting back at me
I said, "If you're selling something, well, I ain't buying nothing
But I appreciate you stopping by."
Said: "I ain't asking for a dime, just a minute of your time
An' your name here on the dotted line
Could you sign my petition?"

Had a spiral notebook in his hand
Handed me a chewed up pen
An' I ask you: "What am I signing up for."
I scrolled down that wrinkled page
Saw a couple of neighbors names
I kept reading, then I sat down on the porch
It was a letter to the President
With a list that numbered one to ten.

It said: "Make a law where Daddy's don't work late
Keep Uncle Joe an' those soldiers safe
Give those kids on TV all they want to eat
Put a stop to bullies on the bus
No crime, no waits, no hate, no drugs
Give a blanket and a job to people on the street."
I said: "Son, sounds like a world I'd like to live in."
And I signed his petition.

He thanked me for my time
I headed back inside, grabbed my beer
An' got back to the game
Thought: "By now that boy he's three doors down
"Here I am just sitting round
Waiting on the world to change."
Must've blocked the whole game out
All that I could think about was.

"Make a law where Daddy's don't work late
Keep Uncle Joe an' those soldiers safe
Give those kids on TV all they want to eat
Put a stop to bullies on the bus
No crime, no waits, no hate, no drugs
Give a blanket and a job to people on the street."
An' I thought: "Man, ain't that a place I'd like to live in."
And I thank God for that boy that's out there fixing
The world with his petition...