This is a pledge of allegiance to this planet United with the moon and the stars And to my life for which it lends This chance Among souls so divisible With lightness And darkness For all.

A wik-walking my way down that strange city street I came upon my old school where they used to beat me down With the roses and poses of those sad clowns And their fake red noses There on the asphalt behind the chain link fence Was that greasy kid strutting in his Toughskin pants I don't know why but he was holding my guitar and he give it a boot Like he wanted to be a football star I watched my six fly high up over the fence So I turned on my starter and I did a little dance Like I was Cris Carter in his last Superbowl ring chance I dove and caught my six and quickly shuffled down the lane Feeling like I'd gotten my fix of the pain Was then that I first heard the refrain As the man sang: You ain't never gonna get no farther Well, there like an oasis in that sad city of angst Was a tree-coddled stream with no banks And I set down my guitar, took a drink and gave thanks But just then I saw a stickball game being played with lead pipe By some fierce looking brothers who were looking kinda like (You know) They didn't care a whole lot for the white type Well, well, the leader was sauntering toward me from across the creek You know I looked right – left You know I took a little peak For a side exit with which off I could sneak Just then a grocery getter came along (Delivering a pizza?) No man, a song And these are the words that I remember right or wrong He sang: You ain't never gonna get no farther Well, there was a brown, round, kindly looking man in the front seat As I opened up the back door to that strange taxi And as we pulled away I began to feel at ease He was some kind of spiritual brother But fortunately, upon me, his gospel he did not smother I could tell by his dashboard icons to him every religion was kinda the same as any other Well, he pulled the car over in a safer part of town I went to my pocket for some money to kick down He raised up his hand in refusal and did say: "We are brothers in one, now get on your way" And on the car radio that song did play And as he drove away it did not fade away The man sang: You ain't never gonna get no farther So I left that city when I left my dream Uncertain, you know, as to what it did mean But every fence I pass as down the lanes I go I journey through my life trying to get in the know It doesn't matter if there's no radio for miles around I still hear the song giving me the sound Of a sermon that murmur when the sun's colors are fading out and down I raise up my hands and Take heed of the plan I don't understand But here're those words again The man, he sang:You ain't never gonna get no farther

I had a friend who said he wanted to leave his head and he flew and climbed and sped away Next time I saw him he was in a cage despair, rage torn from a book man he was off of Prometheus' page The language he spoke was like clues, news, blues, hues of some deranged god's tool And I could not help him as he stood there and I asked him: “My brother what happened to you?” (he said:) The cow, she jumped over the moon But she didn't make it over me The cow jumped over the moon May that cow jump over you My friend Dave didn't like the road paved, dollar saved, two-bit role in a play so he gave it all away He showed me the looking glass how to jump in and come back Cat-in-the-Hat come for the day scit scatting that scat But one day, lost and too clear I could see my buddy trapped on the other side of the mirror And that night as we sat drowning on childhood swings and I listened to the verses he did sing I asked him: “My brother what happened to you?” (he said:) The cow, she jumped over the moon But she didn't make it over me The cow jumped over the moon May that cow jump over you Concrete sitters there, me and my friend, between cigarette butts, broken glass and monument with eternal flame that had nearly reached its end We spoke of the Buddha who wooed us and the karma that chewed us and threw us around the bend to this end And the strength to find a golden fleece of peace even with Doom's old dog Gloom snarling at us with his teeth But later I saw his stare as he readied to climb into the airplane's chair flying where he could be in some doctor's care and I said: Oh, no, my brother what happened to you? (he said:) The cow, she jumped over the moon But she didn't make it over me The cow jumped over the moon May that cow jump over you

Slipping back to that time when we loved and we lost and then we tripped and crossed that river into this life into this life again Can't seem to understand why I tremble when you touch my hand So afraid to look into your eyes for fear I might be mesmerized My heart says follow through my heart says follow through But with what I don't know I look to the moon won't you give me a clue The night is moon the morning will be here far too soon for me The night is moon the night the night is moon to me Every time I turn away something makes me want to stay Lord, here I go again skipping into wonderland I try to play so cool am I really just playing the fool But I do know how I feel what I feel is real The night is moon the morning will be here far too soon for me The night is moon the night the night is moon to me I don't know where it goes but the time keeps slipping by And the colors of the sunrise say it's time to say good bye But no matter how near or far The stars will tell me where you are where you are... You kaleidoscope and you chameleon before my eyes And you tip and you toe so gently into my memory But just who we were before to each other friends or lovers I can not see The night is moon the morning will be here far too soon for me The night is moon the night the night is moon to me

Well, my shrink said I should acknowledge my pain The coach said: "Come on son, keep your head in the game" But was that man on the street that I thought was insane Who started getting the message on through to my brain (he said) What can you do When you got a catfish in your shoe Nothing like the blues Comes with that catfish in your shoe My guru said I should just be The junkie said: "Hey man, smoke this and set yourself free" But after so many years you know I have to agree With that man, he was so dead pan, you know, when he told me Chorus I said wait a minute, wait a minute how can this be Take a look at my shoe, it's no fishbowl as you can see And furthermore I've got a couple cats at home and if they smelled a fish in my shoe They'd know what to do, believe me true Now I know, I know my stride's not so pure But I figure my sock's probably just got a burr Anyways I'm not wishing the squishing will be cured by fishing through that dish that you're up and dishing No, no, no it just can't be true That I got a catfish in my shoe What can I do With this catfish in my shoe I said doctor doctor give me the news He just handed me a swig of his booze And proceed to list off a broad line of medications he said would get me on through But now as these wrinkles are gathering on my brow Those endless tomorrows are all piling up on me now So excuse while I turn from my pocket pull another worm maybe maybe I've finally learned there's nothing left to do but feed that little mofo living there in my shoe biddy-oo Got a catfish in my shoe There's nothing I can do With that catfish in my shoe You know it might be true That you do too have a catfish in your shoe You know, nothing like the blues Comes with that catfish in your shoe Got one catfish in my shoe Got two cat catfish in my shoe Got three cat cat catfish in my shoe Got four four four four I can't take no more What can I do with these catfish in my shoe Got the cat, got the cat, got the catfish in my shoe Come on fish let's get outta here

Dawn morning noon evening dusk night Time's noose around m' neck is feeling kinda tight Dawn morning noon evening dusk night My life's caught up in the wind like some crazed, swirling kite Dawn morning noon evening dusk night With myself doesn't seem like I should have to fight Dawn morning noon evening dusk night But something inside me's not sitting quite right I'm not gonna drink to our health You won't catch me reaching for any safety belt 'Cause don't you know, don't it show, when I look into my soul I see I'm rooted to a rock, rooted to a rock, rooted to a rock that just won't roll Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage I thought I'd be done spinning by the time I reached this age Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage Should I try to feel nothing and become some kind of sage Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage You like to show me the keys that don't fit in my cage Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage Just a puppet doll on a puppet stage I'm not gonna drink to our health You just go ahead, you go ahead and reach for that safety belt 'Cause don't you know, don't it show, when I look into your soul I see you're rooted to a rock, rooted to a rock, rooted to a rock that just won't roll Rooted to a rock that just won't roll... Time's noose around m' neck is feeling kinda tight Dawn morning noon evening dusk night My life's caught up in the wind like some crazed, swirling kite Dawn morning noon evening dusk night With myself doesn't seem like I should have to fight Dawn morning noon evening dusk night But something inside me's not sitting quite right Dawn morning noon evening dusk night Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage I thought I'd be done spinning by the time I reached this age Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage Should I try to feel nothing and become some kind of sage Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage You like to show me the keys that don't fit in my cage Bliss joy sorrow fear angst rage Just a puppet doll on a puppet stage I'm not gonna drink to our health (that's what I keep telling you) Not when this car is speeding outta control with no safety belts 'Cause don't you know, don't it show, when I look into our soul I see we're rooted to a rock, rooted to a rock, rooted to a rock that just won't roll Rooted to a rock that just won't roll...

Black is the color of the hole in the shadow That's where I throw the crusts from my brown, brown bread Green is the color of that Jack-in-the-Beanstock ladder I use to try and climb up the moon's golden thread Red is the color of the fire burning but I bet you can't see it behind my eyes If I could turn from black to brown to white to beige to yellow I would surely disguise That it's no fun spending another day in this deranged sanitarium Look at me what have I done To be the one living my life Under a blue sun it's a blue, blue sun A blue sun it's a blue, blue sun Blue is the color of the matter Blue's the color of my clothes I'm eating blue and getting fatter Blue says, "Shit man, that's the way it goes" Blue is the color of my pillow Laying on my blue, blue bed That's where I lay down all these blue notes Weighing down my head And it's no fun hanging out in this star-less planetarium Look at me what have I done To be the one living my life Under a blue sun it's a blue, blue sun A blue sun it's a blue, blue sun 'S got to be... A blue sun and it's over me A blue sun and it's hanging over me Blue is the color of the hole in the shadow That's where I throw the blue crusts from my blue bread Blue is the color of that bean-stock ladder I use to climb up the moon's blue, blue thread Blue is the color of the fire, burning so low in my eyes As I turn from blue to blue to blue to blue There's no way to disguise That it's no fun passing my time in this hazy aquarium Look at me what have I done Now I'll always be the one living his life Under a blue sun it's a blue, blue sun A blue sun it's a blue, blue sun...

Hey there, Mr. Thoreau Do you mind if I join you there in your boat? For a spell with you on your pond I'd like to float I wanna wake up I wanna feel this life is enough For me Hey, look there Here come some birch bark canoes Now they're gone Must just have been ghosts of a people I wish I knew Say there, Samuel Clemens Can I hitch a ride with you on your river raft Life here on shore feels like it's cutting me in half I wanna trip Down the Mississip And under the moonlight slip away Hey wait a minute, wait a minute, look there, here comes ol' Huckleberry Finn Say hey, Huck, come on now, jump on in (interlude) Michael row your boat ashore, hallelujah... Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream...verily life is but a dream... River, river carry me on...to the place where I come from... The river is flowing, flowing and growing, the river is flowing, down to the sea... (interlude) Excuse me, fair Galadriel They tell me that you're leaving on that ship across the sea Sailing with you to Valinor I'd like to be I know I'm a man On Middle-earth I'm supposed to make my stand but I grieve Hey wait, hey wait look, here comes Elrond and Gandalf too (and the Ringbearers) Without you what are we supposed to do? Now you know, you know as well as I do that the wills of men are weak And there's no way we can be entrusted to keep this peace All right, I see you're really leaving, won't you please, won't you please hear this final plea Won't you please come back to aid us in our final need?