Day 25, June 14, Collierville TN

In my last post I mentioned that "alone time" in Excalibur incited me to compose a song.  I wrote a couple of dozen songs in my early teens and late twenties when I also played guitar (fairly) and sang (poorly), but this new song, called "Lead Me to the Well," is the first one I've written in over three decades.  I actually have rudimentary music for it.  The music exists only in my head for now, but I have a couple of ideas about who can help me convert it into an actual tune with instruments and voice.  That's an activity for my future.  For now, here are the lyrics, for better or worse:

Lead Me to the Well

Then I was a kid
Roaming in the woods
Next to cotton fields
Near my grandma's neighborhood

Saw crawdads in the slough
Waving their red claws
Fetched my BB gun
Watched the sparrows fall

Stole some cigarettes
From my grandpa's store
Saw some naked girls
Tried to open every door

(chorus)
Lead me to the well
Where the water is so deep
Before I say farewell
Have to waken from my sleep

Then I was a man
Taking all the loot
Staying at Four Seasons
And wearing power suits

Leaning over golf balls
At the L.A. Country Club
Driving a green Jaguar
With gleaming custom hubs

Staring out my office
Where twin towers once stood tall
Flying out of Frisco
Another redeye curtain call

Lead me to the well
Where the water is so sweet
Before I say farewell
Have to get up on my feet

Now my inner child
Is coming back around
Roaming in the woods
Covering lots of ground

I see a tarpon leaping
And a bass is jumping too
The salmon may be sleeping
In a river that runs through

I'm looking like my grandpa
But my eyes are full of smile
Embracing mother nature
And the call of the wild

Lead me to the well
Where the water tastes like wine
Before I say farewell
I'll find the divine
Lead me to the well
Lead me to the well


Okay, that's it.  I'll be back on the road tomorrow (Wednesday), cruising west.  I'll spend most of my time trucking the next two to three days, then I plan to settle for almost a week at a couple of spots in northern New Mexico.  I understand it's hot and windy across Oklahoma and Texas where I face a lot of drive time.  Maybe I'll dream up another song or two, hopefully about something other than wide open spaces.