Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus - Slap in the Face

Slap in the Face

I had a friend named Mack
We were both 19
He was a surrealist painter
With a singular dream
He played piano
And he had a band
They went on tour
In a beat-up van
He said I’d left the dock
And stepped into the boat
But I was afraid
To let go of the rope
His ship was sailing
The open sea
It was a slap in the face
But it set me free

Ran into my pal Ernie
At a party at Ted’s
He was a little bit older
Had a wife and a kid
He’d written a novel
And a couple good songs
He was telling us jokes
‘Bout a world gone wrong
He said he’d discovered
The secret of life
It’s as simple as this, he said:
“Writers write”
I knew at once
He was talking to me
It was a slap in the face
But it set me free

All my life
Somebody saved me
Kept me from drifting
Or rolling downhill
I’m grateful for the gifts they gave me
Rescued me from standing still

There was a teacher who showed me
Why my writing was crap
A coach who convinced me
To get off my own back
A musician who said:
Work with honorable men
My sarcastic companions
When I needed a friend
These were my gurus
And these were my guides
I was lost in the dark
They showed me a light
When I was blind
They helped me see
It was a slap in the face
But it set me free
It was a slap in the face
But it set me free

© words and music by Jim Patton and Jeff Talmadge & Steve Brooks