The marriage went stale
We lived our separate lives
I had a pocket full of floozies
She slept with some wives
Drinking in a crowd
And laughing way too loud
Ignoring what I lost
Forget about the cost
On a dusty old road
With nothing left to see
I burned down every bridge
From Barstow to Western Tennessee
Drinking in a crowd
And laughing way too loud
Ignoring what I lost
Forget about the cost
I'll buy another round
And cut myself some slack
I'm telling you for sure in this crazy ole world
There ain't no way to turn ever back
Drinking in a crowd
And laughing way too loud
Ignoring what I lost
Forget about the cost
By Richard W. Bray
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
–Carl Jung
Patrick’s always talking
About everybody else
He doesn’t even know
He’s just talking about himself
"Two-faced Tommy
Is such a stupid clown
Always talking trash
When people aren’t around"
Patrick’s always talking
About everybody else
He doesn’t even know
He’s just talking about himself
"Albert's so angry
Screaming all day
It makes my blood boil
When he acts that way"
Patrick’s always talking
About everybody else
He doesn’t even know
He’s just talking about himself
“Walter’s such a drunk
He’ll never get it right
Always at the bar
I see him every night”
Patrick’s always talking
About everybody else
He doesn’t even know
He’s just talking about himself
“Heather’s so jealous
She’s bitter and cruel
If I had all her privileges
I wouldn’t be such a fool”
Patrick’s always talking
About everybody else
He doesn’t even know
He’s just talking about himself
by Richard W. Bray
Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
And so my heart is paying now for things I didn't do
–Hank Williams, Cold Cold Heart
Don’t blame yourself
For your broken heart
It might feel heroic
But it isn’t very smart
There’s something you know
But you’ll never understand
She made you so happy
But she didn’t give a damn
You could spend some time with a real live girl
But you’d rather keep bleeding in Imaginary World
You’re a really sweet guy
But you gotta let it go
It wasn’t your fault
When she stomped on your soul
I really wanna love you
But I can’t compete
With a sad sad song
That you wanna repeat
You could spend some time with a real live girl
But you’d rather keep bleeding in Imaginary World
By Richard W. Bray
Telling your life story
Leaving out the facts
Time travels sideways
Turkeys go quack
Nothing that happens
Is ever your fault
Look inside a mirror
See who you're not
Crazy as a hound dog
With a pigeon up its ass
Fantasize a future
Wish away the past
Nothing that happens
Is ever your fault
Look inside a mirror
See who you're not
Blood on all your garments
Dripping from your hand
But you never stop saying
You're an innocent man
Nothing that happens
Is ever your fault
Look inside a mirror
See who you're not
By Richard W. Bray
What holds all the molecules together?
Was there a beginning of time?
Does space go on forever?
What makes you so clever?
Is there any reason in my rhyme?
I wonder about everything I see
Who made all the tygers and the trees?
I wonder why I met you
And what you’re gonna do
Wonder is good enough for meI wonder about things I’ll never know
I wonder if our love is gonna grow
What’s inside the sun?
The biggest number plus one?
Wonder is good enough for me
by Richard W. Bray
paint a picture
sing a song
tell yourself
you’re never wrong
swallow anger
exhale fear
stomp on hope
and plug your ears
busting kindness
crushing faith
feasting on
an empty plate
live your hatred
love your lies
empty hearts
and cold goodbyes
by Richard W. Bray
My doctor said "Your thinking stinks
You're sick inside from all them drinks
You need to fix what's in your head
Or else you're gonna wind up dead"
Fragrant thinking
Keeping people sane
Try to stay happy
But don't deny the pain
Fragrant thinking
You're gonna make mistakes
Don't emphasize the negative
And give yourself a break
Fragrant thinking
Focus on yourself
Don't waste your time obsessing
About everybody else
Fragrant thinking
Serenity Prayer
Change the things you can
Who said life was fair?
Now I filter everything
All the stuff I say and think
Eliminating all the shit
That don't serve me no benefit
by Richard W. Bray
To fight aloud
Is what you do
To hide from
What's inside of you
Refute the things
That people say
And box in bars
On Saturday
To fight aloud
Is what you do
To hide from
What's inside of you
Upset, attack
Disturb, annoy
Nag and nag
And nag your boy
To fight aloud
Is what you do
To hide from
What's inside of you
Bicker, fuss
And fight and feud
And then you say
"You're being rude"
To fight aloud
Is what you do
To hide from
What's inside of you
I read a lot of books
About psychology and stuff
Crammin knowledge in my head
I’ll never get enough
Tried to figure out
Why some people fall apart
Wondered if the problem’s
In the head or in the heart
The answer is so simple
And amazy
If you don’t tell yourself the truth
You’ll go crazy
Deception is a poison
It destroys and complicates
Honesty alleviates
It cures and it regenerates
Living all those lies
Is gonna rot your loving soul
Heal your wounded heart
And let yourself be whole
The answer is so simple
And amazy
If you don’t tell yourself the truth
You’ll go crazy
Double-cross a lover
While she's sleeping upstairs
Betray your best friend
And never give a care
You could eat a flea for breakfast
Put a saddle on an ant
Ride it like a pony
To the centipede dance
The lies you tell yourself
The lies you tell the world
The never-ending lies
That pushed away your girl
You could hide inside a thimble
Crawl under a door
Get lost for an hour
In a crack in the floor
Leave a trail of destruction,
Misery and loss
Turn and walk away
Let others pay the cost
You could build yourself a castle
With toenails and sand
And declare yourself king
Of Tiny Little Land
by Richard W. Bray