On the inside
I wish I was an old man, my days all lived behind me.
Mistakes all made, my dreams gone gray, no long sighs left to sigh.
For if I was an old man, my trials would soon be over.
I’d burn this hoe, and these sack clothes, and spread my wings and fly.
For half a generation now I’ve tried to ease your sorrow
You always cry for days gone by, a life lived long ago
But what moment were you happy then, that I cannot remember?
The pain you bear is the crown you wear, That’s the you I know.
I thought that when the world was new, I’d be an oak tree, strong and true,
Back then I didn’t know my own true name.
The song I loved you took from me, began to cry, said “Leave me be”
And chasing ghosts was what our years became.
I know that this has never been the life that dreams were made of
I know the man I’ve failed to be, no matter how I tried
But I believe that you can live the life that you were made for
With grace to be redeemed and free, just trust the changing tide.
