MANY THOUGHTS

Have you ever been to Matamoros Banks, sad eyes?

Once I got in my pink Cadillac and drove there to rendezvous with a woman named Leah.

When I got there she was playing the guitar and singing something called Terry’s song,

She was born in the U.S.A. and said I wanna be with you.

I told her, ” my love will not let you down”

She said, “Let’s be friends skin to skin” ” that’s all I’m thinking about”

I told her ” I’ve met too many women with hearts of stone”

Later we went to a place called the Lion’s den where the bands are.

We listened to a song called the Seaside Bar Song,

When we left there we were robbed, believe it or not, we were held up without a gun.

The big payback was we didn’t have any cash and there was a man who was quite the hitter,

He killed one of the men and said for his help there is a code of silence.

The promise was kept and we went on our way to a motel called loose ends,

There were 57 channels and nothin’ on so we rented a movie called part man, part monkey.

Later that night I couldn’t sleep and I thought about growin’ up, telling an old friend Janey,

“Don’t you lose heart”

I thought about a girl who said, ” you can look but you can’t touch”

A place me and my friends went to called trouble river,

I remember partying with my brothers under the bridge and my father dying from the fever.

Keith Garrett

MAGICAL PLACE FOR YOU AND ME

They exist In fairytale land, step from books written,

Remember when you were a child, what did you see?

They stood tall on the big screen, a never ending dream,

Did you believe It was real? In my world, I could truly feel.

A magical place for you and me where all the possibilities,

A wooden boy comes to life, his nose grows with lies,

Pinocchio would one day become a real boy.

He did not wish to grow up, always dressed In clothes of green,

Fly’s high in the sky, Peter Pan lives a magical life.

Cinderella had not much, a slave to the labors of mean,

A slipper lost would bring a prince charming her way.

A girl treated terribly by a woman of such wickedness,

With the help of seven dwarfs, a prince will save her,

A magical place for you and me, a world of Walt Disney.

Keith Garrett

LET’S NOT DESTROY ONE ANOTHER

Worry do we about the enemy from far away lands,

More of a chance to be invaded by an enemy within.

From protests of angry citizens, violence occurs,

Nothing will ever get better in the way they try to be heard.

Rioting in the streets, destroying one’s own neighborhood,

How to accomplish anything when nothing you do is of good.

Shootings, fires, and bombs across a nation said to be great,

We show the world ignorance, our children are taught terrible things.

Let’s not destroy one another as we are doing just fine so far,

Wake up America, what will all this destruction do for you?

Keith Garrett

A TRIP TO ANYWHERE

I’m searching for loose change, standing by the car wash,

I’m happy just waiting for a ride.

Here it comes, sir! does the bus stop at 82nd street?

My pink Cadillac is a stolen car, I just gave it a name.

This hard land does not make me a lucky man,

My wife and I were once the honeymooners, now trouble in paradise.

So young and in love, we were two for the road,

The wish I have is to be back in your arms.

Don’t look back says a man with sad eyes,

I used to be a man at the top, now I have restless nights.

The bus stops here where I rendezvous with her,

Give the girl a kiss and stare over the rise of the sun.

We go to a place and watch a T.V. movie,

I’m always here when you need me “she says”

We watched seven angels, It started to rain,

There was a great thunder crack.

Some of us have hearts of stone, not us,

Bring on the night, when the lights go out, so peaceful,

Shut out the light.

Keith Garrett

THREE ROADS TAKEN

The forest, the hills’, and the desert traveled,

These three, these men of faith will be challenged.

Where do I go, alone will I know, asks the first seeker,

I’ll take the first road, I’ll find my way to the forest.

The way home for me will be found, we’ll meet in a place,

The forest will show me many things, a search so beautiful.

It’s time for me to go, my road has been chosen,

I’ll make my way into the hills’, these words spoken.

We will come together once more, somewhere in time,

Travel I will into the quiet hills’ of discovery, a road taken.

Fore the third wandering man will journey across the desert,

A road meant for only he, unbelievable scenes to his eyes.

The desert will teach this alone man lessons of the heart,

His way home will be hard fought, they will find the same road.

Three roads taken, three men walk a path alone,

In the end, they will stand together in the hills’, the forest,

And in the desert, these men of three will never find again

This home but all will be as one, they will find their way home.

Keith Garrett

LIST OF FRIENDS

I go back in time to a city in my mind,

Memories, a list of friends in my heart and thoughts.

Yorba Linda is where I’ll travel, a beautiful spot,

I saw them at school, weekends in the pool.

Sitting on their porch, hanging around at the park,

The donut shop, a pizza with a few to start.

Riding our bikes down to the baseball field,

Tastee freeze for an ice cream in the heat.

Remember the hills before they were taken away,

We hung out together, dreaming was real.

Seven eleven, down in the greenbelt,

Names of many different streets, homes of a list of friends.

I remember all of you as I grow a bit older each day,

Those special moments in the sun, never forgetting the things we had done.

My list of friends, from a place that still lives.

Keith Garrett

JUST PASSING THROUGH

A man searching for something, always searching,

He travels through the desert, a town in his sight.

On a horse he rides, the sun upon his back,

Dressed in western clothing of the time.

What he wants is a bed for the night,

A warm meal that satisfies, a bath much needed.

He heads for the saloon, a drink in his thoughts,

Sit down for a game of cards with faces of a town.

Just passing through, a man and his horse,

Both bedded down for the night,

When the sun rises, his search will continue.

Keith Garrett

THEY LOVE THEIR PEOPLE

The love of a dog, they want only to be cared about, they are loyal,

How Is It that one could hurt, kick, abuse mans best friend?

They don’t want to sleep outside In the cold, Winter rain,

Chained to a tree In the hot, Summer sun Is not a tasty treat.

Slapped and have a rock thrown at them when they don’t understand,

Yelled at and told to get out of here when they just wanted to show love.

They love their people, feed them a snack, scratch their warm, furry back,

Throw a ball and see them run In the sun till It’s time to go Inside.

When It’s suppertime they’re ready to help, part of the family,

Time to relax, they have their spot, In the chair with you,

On the floor next to a fire, a dog has feelings too.

Watch a T.V. show with you, that’s what a dog will do,

Time to go to bed!, they love their people, goodnight.

Keith Garrett

LISTEN TO MY TALE

I write this for you, my dear friend,

Born in the U.S.A. over fifty years ago was I.

The light of day was mine as only a child,

Cover me with a blanket as I am cold this moment.

Cross my heart that the road about to be taken will be long,

I’m countin’ on a miracle that there will be better days ahead.

Be true to yourself and that book of dreams may become real,

You can be your own worst enemy with bad decisions.

The souls of the departed are in heaven as they’ve made it all the way home,

Sometimes it’s just a roll of the dice to that which comes our way.

Blinded by the light but heard by me were the chimes of freedom echoing in the distance,

There are those who wear a brilliant disguise but the truth is they carry Inside devils and dust.

I was on a downbound train through Nebraska heading for Darlington County,

The Badlands were out there, I was thinking of Gloria’s eyes.

I stopped for the night to see the county fair, stayed at Mary’s place,

Thinking of my glory days being a local hero on my high school football team.

Before I left to go back home to Reno I stopped for a visit with Bobby Jean,

We spent some fun time drinking and dancing in the dark,

Eventually, the dreaming stopped and I went back to working on the highway.

Keith Garrett

HE CAME FROM NOWHERE

Not a clue of who he really was, his name not sure,

It is said he came from nowhere, a tall man of strength.

He spoke always in a manner of calm and peace,

You could not enrage him, a confident look upon his face.

Softly spoken words but a lethal weapon, you can be sure,

There is no record of him, a mystery from where he came,

He was very fast, he was there and then he was not.

He came from nowhere, a powerful man who did want peace,

In the end, he stood tall, a trail of death he left, not evil was he.

Keith Garrett