Category Archives: Introspective

Adult Themes, Americana, Autobiographical, Ballad, Growing Up, Inspired by High School, Inspired by People, Introspective, Lyrics, No Music Yet, Nostalgia, Rites of Passage

Friends Live On In You

Tonight we’re like the teens we were
years after we faced our fears
All sitting around at this reunion
Laughing and in our eyes are tears

There’s no one out to get us now
There’s nobody we can blame
For how our lives all turned out
At least nothing stayed the same

I look back on those days knowing
We all made it through in one piece
We got through the rites of passage
Our squeaky wheels got the grease
And it feels so good to be here
It’s like no time has passed, it’s true
You can move away from everyone
But your old friends live on in you

Memories are still inside of me
Of life here in our little big town
I remember how Patty beamed as she
got her Football Homecoming crown

All the fun we had just hanging out
Eating our burgers & chicken strips
I’ll always remember how it felt
That kiss from my first girl’s lips

I look back on those days knowing
We all made it through in one piece
We got through the rites of passage
Our squeaky wheels got the grease
And it feels so good to be here
It’s like no time has passed, it’s true
You can move away from everyone
But your old friends live on in you

There are ones who couldn’t be here
But that’s OK, they’re safe and well
They’ll stay alive in all the stories
That we’ll always think of and tell

It feels so good to be with you all
It’s like no time has passed, it’s true
You can move away from everyone
But your old friends live in you

Oh, you can move away from everyone
But your old friends live on in you.

January 20, 2022

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About Family, Americana, Ballad, Growing Up, Inspired by a Place, Inspired by Outdoors, Inspired by People, Introspective, Lyrics, Nostalgia, Poem, Verse Poetry, Wistful

Santa Cruz Young

Dedicated to my brothers, Russell Gray & Jeff Gray

Just to ride down that trail again
To see the whole Monterey Bay
And to feel that strong breeze
Against my golden brown face
Just to walk in that neighborhood
To Westlake with my schoolmates
And not have too worry about
What was on our dinner plates

When we were Santa Cruz young
We didn’t think too much about
Things our parents were doing
Like who they were countersuing
Or who had extra special clout
We only cared about each other
Fitting in and good sportsmanship
Riding our bikes around UCSC
We were wild and oh so crazy
As we’d go to the beach for a dip

I remember playing capture the flag
I remember how it all was and felt
And I remember my first crushes
How I thought my heart would melt
I remember my first childhood kiss
With a girl from down the block
And how my Daddy worked so hard
While Mom stayed in and was his rock

Just to be in my old room again
Just to listen to that old record play
And to be around my older brothers
So the mem’ries wouldn’t fade
If I could go back in to Calvin Place
Or hike to the bottom of the hill
I’d want to also go and visit
Ron, Shirley, Christine & Bill

When we were Santa Cruz young
We didn’t think too much about
Things our parents were doing
Like who they were countersuing
Or who had extra special clout
We only cared about each other
Baseball cards and Harvey West
Fitting in and real good manners
Visiting with the Catletts & Danners
And making sure we did our best

Just to ride down that trail again
To see the whole Monterey Bay
And to feel that strong breeze
Against my golden brown face

And to feel that strong breeze
Against my golden brown face

When we were Santa Cruz young
Oh, when we were Santa Cruz young.

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About a Friend, Adult Themes, Autobiographical, Inspired by People, Inspired By Situations, Introspective, Lyrics, No Music Yet, Nostalgia, Old Wounds, Optimism, Piano Song, Wistful

The Last Time You See Me

The last time you see me
I hope I’m best that I can be
I hope I’m not stuck in a tree
The last time you see me

The last time that we talk
I hope it’s after a nice walk
Hope I’m not watchin’ the clock
The last time that we talk

I pray I’m not mean or filled with spite
I wish for a healthy exchange of words
Even if we’re out for a quick drink or bite
I hope we’re joyful like a couple of birds

The last time you look in my eyes
I would prefer it wasn’t a surprise
I hope we hug before our goodbyes
The last time you look in my eyes

I pray we’re not angry, instead at peace
I wish we’ll be pleasant and get along
I hope you know I’ve changed since then
And deep inside I know I was wrong

The last time you see me
I hope you’re happy and smile
I hope my friend, we reconcile
The last time you see me

The last time you see me.

Revised, 2021

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Adult Themes, Ballad, Country Song, Inspired by People, Introspective, Lyrics, No Music Yet, Optimism, Piano Song, Relationships, Romance, Wistful, Women, Young Love

Country Girl

She’ll have bright eyes
And highlighted hair
That girl will be kind
And will treat me fair

I like a good ol’ gal
Who likes to have fun
She’ll be my best pal
But she’ll be the one

Who’ll go out on the dance floor
With her girlfriends in the bar 
In public she’ll be a sweetheart
At home she’ll be my superstar
I’ll take her anywhere for kicks
Even a carnival tilt a whirl
With a goofy grin on her face
Oh, but she’s gotta be a country girl
Yeah she’s gotta be a country girl

She’ll love her horses
At her Daddy’s farm
When we’re on the town
She’ll always take my arm

She’ll be sentimental
And share her fond memories
Of all the good times she’s had
With the sisters from her sorority

She’ll head out on the dance floor
All eyes’ll be on her from the bar 
Everywhere she’ll be a sweetheart
And she’ll be my superstar
I’ll take her anywhere for kicks
Even the Boardwalk tilt a whirl
With a goofy grin on her face
Oh, but she’s gotta be a country girl
Yeah she’s gotta be a country girl

Wearin’ those high rise jeans
And loves her broken in boots
She’s good friends with Mama
And she’s proud of her roots
Family’s important to her
And her friends are too
She’s obsessed with Leann Rimes
And her favorite song is “Blue”

She’ll out drink me at the bar
And she might be a pool shark
Everywhere she’ll be a sweetheart
But she won’t be a walk in the park
I’ll take her anywhere for kicks
Even a State Fair tilt a whirl
She’ll have a goofy grin on her face
Oh, but she’s gotta be a country girl

Yeah she’s gotta be a country girl

August 13, 2021
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Americana, Autobiographical, Ballad, Country Song, Creativity Themes, Growing Up, Introspective, Lyrics, No Music Yet, Nostalgia

The Me From Long Ago

He was the kind of boy who’d
practice more than go on dates
He’d work on his serves and strokes
Rather than hang with his mates

He’d spend many hours and hours at
The club working out to be & feel great
Wondering if being a teaching pro
Could end up as his fate

That was the me from long ago
When you see me now as I am
You would never know
I was the Prince of the court
Trained with a great tennis coach
I didn’t allow others to get close
That was the me from long ago

He knew some girls he wanted to
take out to the basketball games
But he didn’t have a lot of courage
And I’m not gonna name names, but

There was one who caught his eye
And he tried and tried and tried
But at the end of their first Prom
He messed up bad and she cried

That was the me from long ago
When you see me now as I am
You would never know
I had no game with gals at all
Next to them I felt so small
I was full of worry and woe
Yep, that was me from long ago

Through the years he changed
Into the man I am today
And now I’m here to tell you
I’m glad I went all this way
To get out of that town
To go work on myself
And learn as much I’ve learned
For a life I know I earned

So if you think about who I was
I am different from those days
I stopped playing tennis years ago
But I’m a sucker for the latest craze

Went with my heart & wrote instead
Then everything fell into place
And that’s why you’re seeing this
Big ol’ smile that’s on my face

You see the me from long ago
Is not the me I am today
My both knees are damaged
And God knows I want to play, but
I’m better off staying creative
And that’s all I’ve got to say
About the me you now know
And that me from long ago

About the me you now know
And that me from long ago

From long ago
From long ago
From long ago
From long ago

July 14, 2021

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Americana, Ballad, Inspired By Situations, Introspective, Lyrics, No Music Yet, Optimism, Patriotic, Relationships, Romance, Unrequited, Young Love

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

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Adult Themes, Americana, Ballad, Denial, Failed Relationships, Grief Song, Heartbreak, Inspired By Situations, Introspective, Lyrics, Marriage, No Music Yet, Old Wounds, Piano Song, Relationships, Toxic True Love, Wistful, Women

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
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Autobiographical, Hokum, Inspired by an Article, Introspective, Lyrics, Naughty, No Music Yet, One Night Stands, Romance, Satire

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

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Adult Themes, Autobiographical, Growing Up, Inspired by a Place, Inspired By Situations, Introspective, Lyrics, No Music Yet, Nostalgia, Power Pop, Young Love

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.

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