Ballad Of A Retired Man

(album: River Fools & Mountain Saints - 2022)

He retired on a Wednesday
When the call came through
Said so long to the highway
And that old blacktop crew

Made his way to the mountains
Where she was waiting up
Been 50 years and counting
Banking more than luck

They spent the night on the front porch
Weighing every chance
He said that old clock's ticking
Better learn to dance

They drove him out to the desert
Seeking nothing new
He tried the cures in the valley
And religion, too

He cursed the cold and the wood stoves
'Neath the church house vents
He fought the heat and the horseflies
In revival tents

And later on that winter
When it took its hold
He saw the man in the mirror
Beaten up and old

And the kids came often
And the grandkids, too
Bringing all those groceries
Crying "I love you"

They wiped the tears from their faces
Said "Tell me, what is wrong?"
I'm still the same old baby
Stuck in Vietnam

And gave way to the silence
And the chilly night
That little house on Primrose
Had never been so quiet

They gathered 'round the bedside
Speaking holy words
They say, the soul, it lingers
That's what I've always heard

And he stared up through the ceiling
At the universe
Speeding past old memories
In a spirit hearse

He rode the waves and the static
Of their first T.V.
He saw the sounds of Fireline
And the great Ali

And said, "I can feel it coming
I'm a nervous wreck
I wonder where I'm going?
I wonder what comes next?"