Never Quit Life

Never Quit Life

Psalm 23 [revised]

It was true, I was once a fool, a fool who fell so hard, and I didn’t know where to pick up the pieces and find a new start

Forty some years ago, I walked through the valley of the shadow of death as a soldier and as a twenty year old man

It took me this long and a little bit more to find out just where in this world I belonged and how this madness began

I took a look at my life, and realized that I could have lost everything including my soul, mind and life

If I would have surrendered my spirit, my body and let all things go and just follow the path without any strife.

Because up to that point in time, my life was no longer mine in time, it was completely gone

It belonged to the devil as he took everything that was fine as wine, and sang all the evil songs out of tune and out of time

I lost my life, my wife, my everything, the only thing I kept was my wedding ring, which really didn’t mean a thing

Eventually, I fought back, I took back what was rightfully mine and found the sunlight to shine on my face once again

As I walked through the valley of evil, I realized I had lost my mind, but never will that journey ever again begin

I took a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left to lose because I've been blasting and laughing so long, I never took the time to snooze

And even my children thought that my mind was blown and gone astray for I never came home long enough to stay

Between the liquor, the pills and the lustful desires, I never bothered to talk to anyone, and walk to someone special to put out this fire

But once I saw the sunlight and felt the warmth on my face, I knew my heart had new desires

But I never really saw that point they were trying to make, because I didn’t deserve a break

I mistreated myself like the punk I was, I threw a pity party every week and threw my life away

The devil was happy, the bartender was good and I was spending every penny I made on every whore that came my way

Even my momma thought I was gone, my mind was a wasted thing, she thought I would eventually end up dead, found in an outline made of chalk as the police told her I had met my maker

The black beauties, the rum and coke made it easier to trip to places like Lucy in the Sky

I loved to trip and I loved to laugh but the walking was hard as it was never a straight line to follow

I sat inside those smoky rooms, I listened to the music and the wine as other people yelled and hollered

Through the smoke, I saw people croak and feeling wasted all the time, but that didn’t bother me much at the time

But I never once lied to myself or tried to say, I loved being and living this way, as these times took away my pain

I was the fool, I made no rules and never realized how I was spending my life with all the hurt inside

Instead of thinking of someone else, I was living for myself and no one else but that was much denied

Living in a fool’s paradise with no daylight through the windows and seeing only street lights at night

I roamed the streets and bars of the city, looking for some free drinks and a couple of fights

Never dropping on my knees at night or saying a prayer, had I taken the blasphemy in line

Looking back, I knew I was sad, I never smiled or laughed like I do now but this is not then or now again

I can live a normal life, a family and a good looking wife, and even begin to believe in God again

I got me facing the truth, the mortal me and the weaknesses inside I cannot hide any longer

I became a man, chasing my dreams and got my self-respect back, as I look in the mirror back into my eyes

Too much foolishness, not enough faith, I had nothing but evil and money on my mind, and slowly, I knew I was going to die

No longer walking the valley of death with all the fear I once had, I can say don’t arouse my anger

I aint no fool, I aint no loser and I am but a heartbeat away from telling you what I need to say and say it loudly

As I am sixty seven now and I will live to see tomorrow or seventy eight without all that sorrow

The way things are going now, I know they tell me why I changed but deep inside, the PTSD, it still lurks away

Knowing that it only takes a certain flash or noise, to take everything I have, away.

Times for pain and time for hurting are gone now forever, as I can recall I was too blind to see

That the ones I hurt, the lives and hearts I broke were not only mine but other people besides me

So tell me why you want to go party all night, tell we why you want to dance with evil

So blind to see, you cannot feel the pain or sorrow that is headed your way tomorrow.

There is no happiness as you suffer, minute after minute, hour after hour

If you are thinking about quitting, make sure you remember why you started