Lemon Balm

(album: Welcome To Sparks, Nevada - 2020)

Tonight it's raining and the mountains are misty, reminding me of wintertime
Strange that it's late spring and the firewood is burning, strange that it's spring and that
In a hotel room across the ocean, I'm not tossing and turning

On the end table, the same old vase, filled with oleanders and sweet peas
And there's my boxing encyclopedia from the 1950s, and I just read the old records of Tiger Flowers
And Willie Ritchie

And yesterday while I was cutting my lawn, I stumbled on a patch of lemon balm
I thought it might be mint, but you told me I was wrong
You sniffed it with caution and said that you were sure it was lemon balm

Lemon balm
Lemon balm
Lemon balm

The cat, she's asleep, with her there's few surprises
And I've just opened The Sun Also Rises
Lost in a world of trout fishing in Basque County, Spain
Last time I was in Spain it was much like here
Mountainous, mystical, and pouring rain

I feel there's so much right in this world, though I'm told I'm wrong
While I lay, sipping a bottle of water, and flipping through pages
And chewing on lemon balm

Lemon balm
Lemon balm
Lemon balm

For some to relax, they recite biblical songs
For some to relax, they have somebody read their poems
For some to relax, they read William Faulkner's The Wild Palms
For me, I open any old book and chew on lemon balm

While taking photos of flowers recently, on the side of the road
A girl with three guys yelled, "Mark, I love your band!"
I asked her which one of them was her ex
Which was her new boyfriend, and which one of them would be her future, rest of her life man?

Mike said to Robert, "Come on, say something ironical!"
And that planted a seed as to why, toward them, I was comical
To my question, the four of them devilishly grinned
I said, "Nice to meet you all, but I gotta leave, my head is spinning."

Spinning with what one of the young men said
I said, "I'm middle-aged, and your lives are just beginning
And I remember when I was young like you and everything seemed so nifty."
He said, "Don't be so down on yourself, you're the coolest musician we know who's in their fifties!"

Tonight the rain's falling, the sound of the woodburning stove brings me calm
And tonight and all day is over me, I refuse to be fond
To you and I, this night only belongs
I'm at peace drinking water and reading and chewing on lemon balm

Lemon balm

Some guys died young in Vietnam from napalm
Some may die happy after eating dinner in Milan
Some will go out fighting while others may go out without a qualm
When I die, I hope it's a long way away and that I'm next to you, where I belong
And that in my system they found the delicious dishes
Made with lemongrass, garlic, chilis, and fish sauces
And I'll bet, in my system, they find traces of my calming lemon balm

Lemon balm
Lemon balm
Lemon balm