3. Beggar and a Thief

Beggar and a Thief
Something got hold of me I don’t know why
Maybe it was losing my mother to the other side
Maybe it was when we moved on down to New York City
Maybe it was loneliness in disguise
A beggar and a thief I became
With a pocket full of powder and a hatful of rain
My dad he did the best he could
Sometimes your best just ain’t that good
But here I am here I stand
With an empty pocket and quiet hands
I never learned a tinker’s trade ‘til I found my first guitar
I got so I could play anything I could carry in the back of my car
I’ve traveled this world most every place for drinks or tips
Kept a bottle in my bag with a blackened spoon, in the holding tank I kicked
A beggar and a thief I became
With a pocket full of powder and a hatful of rain
My dad he did the best he could
Sometimes your best just ain’t that good
But here I am, here I stand
With an empty pocket and quiet hands
I’d known Red for years and years had met her here and there
She was one-of-a-kind with chords and words, had a little dog and a pickup truck
She kept her bedroll in the back with everything she’d need
Spent most her time in Canada where they got where she was coming from
Now sooner or later you’ve got to choose which side are you on?
Sooner or later you’ll decide if you’re gonna take this ride alone
I had to lay down everything I believed was true
And open up this big old heart and let that woman through
A beggar and a thief I became
With a pocket full of powder and a hatful of rain
My dad he did the best he could
Sometimes your best just ain’t that good
But here I am, here I stand
With an empty pocket and quiet hands