The Quiet Hearted Soldier

The wind blows her Carmel Valley hair
She sees me longing for her there
Oh but, I’m a soldier with a quiet heart

I’m the boy at the end of that night
Who’ll do all he can to treat her right
Who needs a little bit of a kick start

Like sincere words she won’t regret
A soothing smile taking on the bet
I’d kiss her back as we stand at her door

I hope she feels the same as me, oh
And if she does, I hope to see, and
Hear her say she’ll miss me when I go to war

It’s different now, guys are cruel, they’ll
Adore you in private, ignore you in school, and
don’t realize girls don’t like those games

They act like macho guys with their pals
Then are intimidated by the aggressive gals
On the phone, they mix up all their names

But she’s known me all those years
And I’ve never brought her to tears
Oh, I don’t want to see her break and cry

I hope she knows I want to be there, when
She’s feeling nobody shows they care
I’ll do what it takes, and she’ll know why

Those sincere words she won’t regret
That soothing smile taking on the bet
I’d kiss her back as we stand at her door

I hope she knows I’ll always feel the same and
dream of the day when she takes my name
And overjoyed when I come back from the war

So overjoyed when I come home from the war
So overjoyed when I come home from the war
For her husband, the quiet hearted soldier

June 11, 2021

Can After Can

She checks her appointment book the night before
And gets dressed for bed then closes the door
Then falls asleep to her favorite Netflix show

It’s the one about the detectives who solve crimes
They speak in logic, not in couplet rhymes, and
I sleep beside her but there are secrets I don’t know

And when she
Looks out the window her eyes turn green
And she thinks of the days when they were mean
She loves them so, but needs to let them go
Or she’ll
Take it all out on the kids, take it all out on me as she
Drinks can after can, there’s still misery
All about the past, where she felt so low

I see her there as I try to sleep again
But I then think about the moments when
I said bad things I know I regret now

I’d move out ashamed just to leave her be, but
We’ve already built our own family, and
If there’s a solution for that, I’ll figure out how

And when she
Looks out the window her eyes turn green
And she thinks of the days when they were mean
She loves them so, but she needs to let them go
Or she’ll
Take it out on the kids, take it all out on me as she
Drinks can after can, there’s still misery
All about the past where she felt so low

And I love her so, like cowboys love the Rodeo
Oh yeah, I love her so, like cowboys love the Rodeo

When she
Looks out the window, her eyes turn green
And she thinks of the days when they were fucking mean
She loves them so, but she needs to let them go
Or she’ll
Take it all out on the kids, take it all out on me as she
Drinks can after can, there’s still misery
All about the past where she felt so low

In the here and now, it seems like she'll never grow
Oh yeah, in the here and now, it seems like she’ll never grow

June 10, 2021

She Almost Had Me There

She met me through my father
He mentioned I liked jazz bands, too
So she got in touch with me one day
Going out seemed like the thing to do

We went to see Wally and his band
We took a day trip down to Santa Cruz
Hit the coasters, ate some corn dogs
Love seemed effortless to choose

She almost had me there
She almost tugged me closer to her chest
She almost could have been my girl now
Oh how I thought she’d stay the best
My friends were surprised and I was too
We dated longer than other girls they knew
When she said it was over, truth is I cared
Cause she almost had me there

I took her to a couple weddings
Of good friends of mine back then
I had been thinking of getting serious
It really was just a matter of when

We shared incredible chemistry
We bought each other cute little rings
To remind us of the love we shared
And we got each other things

Yeah she almost had me there
She almost tugged me closer to her chest
She almost could have been my girl now
Oh how I thought she’d stay the best
My friends were surprised and I was too
We dated longer than other girls they knew
When she said it was over, truth is I cared
Cause she almost had me there

We almost could have done it
Sealing the deal just wasn’t in the deck
And when I drove home after the breakup
I was an absolute fucking wreck

I was listening to a tape by Matthew Sweet
Singing about some fictional romance
I remembered when we saw Indigo Swing
She kissed me sweetly during that dance

Yeah she almost had me there
She almost tugged me closer to her chest
She almost could have been my girl now
Oh how I thought she’d stay the best
My friends were surprised and I was too
We dated longer than other girls they knew
When she said it was over, truth is I cared
Cause she almost had me there

Yeah she almost had me there
Yeah she almost had me there
Oh, she almost had me there
Yeah she almost had me there

May 31, 2021

Grinding the Corn

t took me a long while
To understand how to do it right
Like a younger boxer
Who’s training hard for a fight

I didn’t learn it from a book
It was from experience & porn
Then I finally got the hang
Of grinding the corn

I had lots of partners
They lost their patience with me
I didn’t have what they needed
To be comfortable and free

Until I started comprehending
I had to poke it like a thorn
Then she was hot and bothered
From grinding the corn

Grinding the cord
Is harder than it seems
It’s easier to do it
When you’re having wet dreams
Grinding the corn
Has nothing to do with food
But once you master the process
It’ll put your woman in a better mood

I can’t tell you how to do it
You’ll have to learn on your own
But you can’t be soft or timid
You’ve gotta be hard as a stone

You’ve gotta keep your goal in mind
Until she blows that mighty horn
Then you both will get great sleep
After grinding the corn

So keep at it, you’ll eventually master
The art of grinding the corn

Memorial Day Weekend, 2021

Screw City Nights

Back in 1999 my bro called me
He needed help with Expediting
From what he said, I got excited
He was baiting and I was biting

So I gave 2 weeks at the Hotel
And headed to the Midwest
Qualified for that fast freight job
Then I didn’t get much rest

Pre-Chorus:
Cause we were on the go
We were headed everywhere
But I wanted to go back home
Cause I loved the scene there

Chorus:
Screw City Nights
At the Office
Screw City Nights
At Uncle Nick’s
Screw City Nights
With my co-workers
Screw City Nights
It was the time of my life
Screw City Nights
Searchin’ for a wife

A part time job in retail
Was the better fit for me
I quit my job with my brother
Cause I wanted to feel free

Pre Chorus 2:
I wanted to drink ‘n dance
Remember it was 1999
I wanted to find romance
Make a girl mine all mine

Screw City Nights
At the Office
Screw City Nights
At Uncle Nick’s
Screw City Nights
With my co-workers
Screw City Nights
It was the time of my life
Screw City Nights
Searchin’ for a wife

Screw City Nights
Searchin’ for a wife

May 9, 2021

Lyric Notes:
Inspired by Weezer, The Cars and Cheap Trick!
Screw City is the nickname for Rockford, IL.

Why Are You Afraid of Me (Baby)

I brought you 50 red balloons right before Prom
It was the the craziest thing I’ve done for anyone
I turned up one day to ask you to go on a walk
I think that’s why you decided you were done

Why
Oh why
Oh why
Oh why
Why are you afraid of me
Of me
Of me
Of me
Baby

I saw you between classes, and you looked away
Then turned around and headed down the hall
Babe I had so many things I needed to say
And you also didn’t answer all my phone calls

Why
Oh why
Oh why
Oh why
Why are you afraid of me
Of me
Of me
Of me
Baby

Was it something I did
Was it something I said
Or was it something I didn’t do
Girl, I really wish I knew

Was there something I could have said
Was there something I could have tried
Or were you just passing time
And I didn’t commit a crime, so

Why
Oh why
Oh why
Oh why
Why are you afraid of me
Of me
Of me
Of me
Baby

Baby, ooooooooooooh
Baby, ooooooooooooh
Baby, ooooooooooooh
Baby

May 4, 2021

If You Walk Away

If you walk away
Don’t expect me to chase after you
Don’t expect me to fight for a dream
Deep in your heart won’t come true

If you walk away
Don’t think I’m gonna negotiate
I’m gonna trust the hands of fate
And know that deeply, you knew

It was time for you to go
It was time for you decide
To show me what you felt inside
You had to swallow your pride
Know it’s the right thing to do
It was time for you to make
A break for it away from me
So you could finally be free
Cause I was makin’ you so blue
And if you walk away, walk away
Cause I’d do the same thing, too

If you walk away
Pack up and leave my things
You can keep all those rings
I gave you on your special days

If you walk away
Don’t look back, you’ll be surprised
Tears won’t be falling from my eyes
My blood pressure won’t be raised

I’ll know it was time for you to go
It was time you stood up to me
Rather than tolerate my b.s.
This ain’t what love is meant to be
Just move on, protect yourself
Leave me alone and do it fast
If you think this isn’t gonna last
Cause baby, we’d be happier apart
So if you walk away, walk away
Know you won’t be breaking my heart

Oh no… Babe I love you,
but you won’t be breaking my heart

April 27, 2021

Maui

Mom and Dad took a trip to Maui
I was all alone for a few days
Gary said we’d throw a party
And for it, I’d get high praise

Don’t know how many were invited
But it got out of hand pretty fast
Word of mouth was how it got out
Everyone but me had a blast

Our dog Joey got out of our yard
Our rotary phone disappeared
A plant fell off the microwave
And that’s when things got weird

I found some girl in my parents room
Trying on Mom’s dresses and shoes
Someone got into my brother’s records
Everyone drank all the booze

It smelled funny in the main bath
The fire poker walked out the door
Someone was locked in my bedroom
There was trash all over the floor

Cops showed up and were speechless
I was ashamed by how bad it looked
They didn’t charge anyone with anything
But I was sure my goose was cooked

My parents got home from Maui
They grounded me for a little while
It was the craziest thing I’ve ever done
But when I think about it now, I smile

MKG

When She Looks Back

There’s a friend of mine
She’s got kids and a home
But the guy is gone
And she doesn’t understand why
She’s got a good job
At a big ol’ company
She has a close-knit family
She can’t see why he said goodbye

And when she looks back
She sees the white picket fence
She sees her incredible parents
Who were married for years and years
And when she looks back
She sees she was raised up right
She’s into forgiving after a fight
Loves laughing instead of tears
She can’t figure out what she did wrong
As she listens to her favorite song
When she looks back

I don’t know her that well, really
She’s my social media friend
And I will sometimes pretend
I knew her back in High School
And she’s in the same year as me
Class of 87, named University
Studied Communication & Speech
While I was just a quiet pining fool

And when I see her smile
As I check her Instagram
I don’t see imperfection
Oh, I think, “Hot Damn”

And when she looks back
I know it’s not me she sees, it’s him
Who played on that team in the gym
Who she fell for so long ago
And when she looks back
I can’t help but look back too
And see the hell he put her through
There’s so much I want her to know
Cause when she looks back,
It’s not a place that she should go

Cause when she looks back
She sees the white picket fence
She sees her incredible parents
Who were married for years and years
And when she looks back
She sees she was raised up right
She’s into forgiving after a fight
Loves laughing instead of tears
She can’t figure out what she did wrong
As she listens to her favorite song
But there’s so much in front of her on the road
As she looks back, As she looks back
Oh, she don’t have to look back no more

April 23, 2021