Fool on a Corner

Fool on a Corner
Rick Hart

He's a fool on a corner, starin' at his shoes,
wonderin if there's any place he won't pay no dues.
Too tired of the travellin' to pick up any clues
Say, buddy, got a dollar and a dime?

He must have fallen off a dream and lost his way,
his will to love, and last week's pay.
The devil picks up after him along the way.
Say, Scratch, can't you gimme somethin' that ain't mine?

He's stuck between his laughing youth,
the yawning grave, and the twisted truth.
Another draft horse gone bad in the tooth.
Man, it happens all the time.

He's turned his life into an unwanted guest.
He don't care anymore if he's cursed or he's blest.
He's just fallin' apart so he can get some rest.
Say, Doc, put it over ice with a twist of lime.

People think he's crazy, say he'll never make it back.
But he didn't go far enough, so he's tangled up in slack.
You'd think a leap of faith meant fallin' through the cracks.
Say, Jesus, got a little bread, a little wine?

...solo...

He watched his heroes get shot and packaged under the flag
while the Constitution was bound and gagged,
and the guilty wept as they sold its rags.
Hey, jester, are you laughin', or are you cryin'?

Well, he would've run for office, but that'd be runnin' from the law.
He run a major corporation, but he'd have to grow a claw.
He'd be a man of vision, but he was blinded by what he saw.
Say, Bacchus, let me try some of your wine.

He's stuck between his laughing youth,
the yawning grave, and the twisted truth,
where self righteous perform like John Wilkes Booth.
Yeah. Time after time.

One more fool on a corner, empty pockets, empty hands.
You'd think he had enough to get up and make a stand.
How 'bout some travellin' music for that one man band?
Say, Monk, somethin' in 3-quarter time.

Maybe someday you can see him waxin' down his wings
and look in a child's eyes where there's no judgments or kings,
and chance what he's got left so he can hear love when it sings.
Man, it happens. All the time.

(c)(p) 1994, 2000 Rick Hart