Born of Longing

A baby begins chewing on letters on wood blocks
To get to the root of the problem at hand
All your language is splinters it can't stick together
When you open your mouth you start loosing your head
And you still can't explain why the sky is blue

There is nothing so sweet as the milk of your mother
That's how you bounce back when the bough breaks
Now you've got these two eyes that go from wandering to wise
Depending on the wind and how it's feeling today
And you've been thinking about swimming upstreams

Are you embarressed by legends of cowboys and maidens
Do you remember how David caught a giant on his tongue?
The light through the window holds the dust of past heroes
And they're never destroyed only scattered around
By the drunk wind spilling his guts

So a child lights a fire just to look in the mirror
For soon he'll be wearing his Papa's grey beard
All his days in the country full of flame and born of longing
Into the haze of the cityscape they all but disappear
Like horses running out of prairie

But if the stars can't quit dreaming
And if the sun is still sleeping
Then beholden they'll swallow the sad empty space
While the moon casts her shadows and spells on new lovers
Who must blush as they brush the hair from their faces
And the crickets know nobody is immune

You assume that I'm wounded because I'm hunchbacked and hooded
But I've got a dream just like any honest man
I might keep it hidden so sweet is my burden
But if someone tried to steal it they'd have to cut off my hands
For it's as heavy and as precious as gold.