Heart of the World

I’ve been walking through the rain to the ends of the world
Passing through the same towns as you might have gone through
I’m on my way to the center of the earth
Trying to find my way to hell
And ghosts of people, maybe ones who’re not yet dead
They meet me at every little goddamn turn
Standing over their tiny open graves, smiling
And they say to me: “Son, you gotta bury your heart here
Leave behind that heavy part of you
Just go on living with only the truth
And the belief that you can be content.”

And well let’s pull that iron curtain back and open the door
Let’s tear up all the carpet and see what’s under that floor
Like maybe we were hiding something from
Anyone who could have cared
Why’s it so hard to open up our hearts?
We keep shutting each other out of our lives
As if we could shut out the pain.
So if you used to believe in God, or still do
Well, there’s nothing I can say to change that in you
So I’ll still bow my head and say grace over our food
But inside I’ll dedicate it to you.

But now I wonder if you dedicated each day
To the sole purpose of just running away
Maybe hoping someone would catch you and say
“My, what a pretty young thing you are.”
Maybe then you would finally want to stay
Maybe you would stop feeling like a runaway
You could stop being so much like a suicide
Maybe I wasn’t your favorite way to die
No you’ve picked another poison now, a brand new way
To close your little eyes and go to bed
Isn’t life easier with happiness in it?

So I’m on a train now just going nowhere
Swinging my boots, kicking up the dust of the world,
Letting my sorrows pass me by
Truth is I’d ride to the end of the line
Turn this thing around and go to the start of it all
Like maybe I could change something or be at all
Satisfied with myself
I’m standing here on the edge of the world
Kicking stones into eternity
Like I could find happiness at the end of it all
Well, I certainly hope so

So I’ll turn my back and allow myself hope
That maybe I won’t need a flashlight or any rope
I won’t need a compass or even a map
To navigate your soul
And when finally I get to where I’m going maybe
I’ll find peace in the heart of the world
Sitting in my cradle being content at last
Like I found my road to hell
Paved as it is with good intentions
Maybe it could also follow conventions
And be straight and narrow at least

Chalk Dust

Chalk dust on the sidewalk
Next to the vote for me’s and interest meetings
To show you how impermanent you are
Like a snowflake or a hall
In the grandest sand castle on
The back of a million crushed stones
My heart isn’t nearly as hard as they were
Chalk dust for you to walk on
Maybe you’ll carry it with you
In your clothes or in your hair,
In your eyes, in your lungs, in your mind
Like words in the sand, “I love you,” “(Heart), (Your name),”
Or “well, nothing lasts forever,” or stays the same,
Especially with the tide coming in,
So I think I’ll sit and wait for the rain.