Luckier by Half

Please excuse my lack of pretense

But I've come to realize

We're all just a bad day away from the rest of our lives

So please don't take too much offense

If I insult your paradigm

If it don't make my wife and kids smile

Then it ain't worth our time

The only perfect part of me is her

And she should know it everyday

Gonna teach our kids that dreaming is always worth the pain

Gonna love the ones who love us back

Gonna leave the rest behind

Gonna cut the shit with metaphor

And put our truth on plain white-lined

And when the thousand voices tell us

What we want, it can't be done

Just grin, begin and buckle in

Just like my nana's poem

And when it doubt

Love hard and tell it plain

My daughter is always telling me

To put my phone down at the table

Hell she's just eight years old

And I'll be 40 in April

Her fiery eyes remind me of mine

And what I sometimes forget

That you can't let the grind

Distract you from the rest

The only perfect part of me is her

And she should know it everyday

Gonna teach our kids that dreaming is always worth the pain

Gonna love the ones who love us back

Gonna leave the rest behind

Gonna cut the shit with metaphor

And put our truth on plain white-lined

And when the thousand voices tell us

What we want, it can't be done

Just grin, begin and buckle in

Just like my nana's poem

And when it doubt

Love hard and tell it plain

The only perfect part of me is her

And she should know it everyday

Gonna teach our kids that dreaming is always worth the pain

Gonna love the ones who love us back

Gonna leave the rest behind

Gonna cut the shit with metaphor

And put our truth on plain white-lined

And when the thousand voices tell us

What we want, it can't be done

Just grin, begin and buckle in

Just like my nana's poem

And when it doubt

Love hard and tell it plain

when it doubt

Love hard and tell it plain

I learned to play guitar

To the snapping of pine in a campfire

And to this day, it don't matter where the stage

The first chord I play still smells like smoke

Play the same old songs until the ranger came and shut us down

And I learned then what I live by now

When you're

Luckier than you ought to be

Luckier by half

Best not to forget

How it came to pass

I've broken strings on stages I never thought I'd get to see

This is for the ones who've sung along the way

This is for the dreamers in the Cheap Seats

I may never love as pure

As the love my mother gave to me

And I may never backcheck as hard as my old man on Sundays at the MDC

I hope they see a little bit of both when I play this old six string

What I learned from them taught me to sing

When you're

Luckier than you ought to be

Luckier by half

Best not to forget

How it came to pass

I've broken strings on stages I never thought I'd get to see

This is for the ones who've sung along the way

This is for the dreamers in the Cheap Seats

(So much better)

There's a Nashville man who says

He knows exactly how this came to be

He wants to package up what we've done

Sell it out on late night TV

We built this thing on the backs of late nights down at the Bell in Hand

And if you weren't there

You wouldn't understand

When you're

Luckier than you ought to be

Luckier by half

Best not to forget

How it came to pass

I've broken strings on stages I never thought I'd get to see

This is for the ones who've sung along the way

This is for the dreamers in the Cheap Seats

I don't fit into these hillsides anymore

These freeways always slow down time for me

Traffic jams with a cinematic view of the shore

A haze of sunburned memories

I'll always, always be

A little California

I'll always, always be

A little California

Kid, Kid, Kid

I drove from Malibu to Mission Bay

To find a memory of me

Through the tinsel and the shine

To bonfires on Solana Beach

I'll always, always be

A little California

I'll always, always be

A little California

Kid

There's a place where this still feels like home

There's a place where this still feels like me

Drove 40 miles out of my own way

'Cause I don't want to lose

I don't want to lose

I don't want to lose this place

Don't want to

Don't want to

I'll always, always be

A little California

I'll always, always be

A little California

I'll always, always be

A little California

I'll always, always be

A little California

Kid, Kid, Kid

Kid, Kid, Kid

I spent my 30s with a pick in my hand

And my toes on the edge of an old linoleum stage

And they've spilled beer on to the floor of this here bar

Since we were all still loyal to the Queen

A strummer's all I am

Hell, it's all I'll ever be

So choose your own pejorative

'Cause they're all fine with me

These folks don't come in here

For guitar licks and fancy jeans

They come to sing along

'cause it's cheaper than therapy

Until the end

A strummer I will remain

Until the end

A strummer I will remain

Learning not to fight the melodies that come to me

Learned it's better not to mince my chords

When everyone around me, they're all seeing dollar signs

I just love that all you folks know all the words

A strummer's all I am

Hell, it's all I'll ever be

So choose your own pejorative

'Cause they're all fine with me

These folks don't come in here

For guitar licks and fancy jeans

They come to sing along

'cause it's cheaper than therapy

Until the end

A strummer I will remain

Until the end

A strummer I will remain

If you believe what I believe

About the power of song

Sung loud amongst your friends

If you believe that the lyrics of a song

Can somehow fit where you are broken

And make you whole again

Amen, my friend

Amen, my friend

Amen, my friend

Amen, Amen, Amen

Music ain't a business

Until you say it's so and I know

And someday all this might fade away

But if it does, I know exactly where I will go

Find me on the edge of an old linoleum stage

A strummer's all I am

Hell, it's all I'll ever be

So choose your own pejorative

'Cause they're all fine with me

These folks don't come in here

For guitar licks and fancy jeans

They come to sing along

'cause it's cheaper than therapy

Until the end

A strummer I will remain

Until the end

A strummer I will remain

I've been spending most my days

Searching for a heart that wouldn't break

Remembering how to get through the nights

Forgetting how we lived this life

So we're holding on, to holding on

Going strong, to the sound on the radio

And sometimes the sinking, is better for you than swimming

So, hey, hey, we're holding on

All these days without the sun

I found all the hardest ones

Wondering when we'll get to begin

Cause this grey is creeping into my skin

So we're holding on, to holding on

Going strong, to the sound on the radio

And sometimes the sinking, is better for you than swimming

So, hey, hey, we're holding on

The record player spins away

The fears that I hold today

Find my sunshine in a brand new song

In the needle as it crackles and hums

So we're holding on, to holding on

Going strong, to the sound on the radio

And sometimes the sinking, is better for you than swimming

So, hey, hey, we're holding on

So we're holding on, to holding on

Going strong, to the sound on the radio

And sometimes the sinking, is better for you than swimming

So, hey, hey, we're holding on

I can taste the metal of the words this tongue is holding

Words this band won't survive

But sometimes saying what you're feeling's just the same as running

And this time they stay inside

If you've ever been the only

Lonely headlights in the night

Chasing shitty gigs in Mississippi

Just to say you made the drive

'Cause In a Nashville hour or New York minute

Dreams like mine are known to die

But as sure as I am that I'm gonna

Quit on Sunday mornings, I find hope in Sunday nights

When I'm not sure that my voice will make it

Through three more sets of 45

I got friends who wait for me back in Boston

On a makeshift stage under those red lights

'Cause In a Nashville hour or New York minute

Dreams like mine are known to die

But as sure as I am that I'm gonna

Quit on Sunday mornings, I find hope in Sunday nights

So, in a way, here's a thank you

For all those crazy Sunday nights

And to the ones who know the words to all them missing verses

Thanks for keeping this alive

'Cause In a Nashville hour or New York minute

Dreams like mine are known to die

But as sure as I am that I'm gonna

Quit on Sunday mornings, I find hope in Sunday nights

Finally found some open road outside of Allentown

And I finally understood Nebraska

Seems like them four tracks sound best

Against highway fields come tumbling down

And that's exactly what I'm after

I long to be a writer

I long to wear that crown

But most days I just pretend

When the words do come it's more

an Irish rage come tumbling down

Not something that I yet command

But I'm calling

Just got off the phone with Rolling Stone

Pushing 80 on the Pike outside of Charleston

And our song is

Playing on the radio

And I'm finally seeing highway signs from Boston

I'll see you soon in Boston

Tonight they put 14,000 watts behind

That song we wrote on the road to Lac-des-Loups

So let them judge if it's fate

Or imprudence that led us here

I'll just keep my eyes on you

Just like I always do

But I'm calling

Just got off the phone with Rolling Stone

Pushing 80 on the Pike outside of Charleston

And our song is

Playing on the radio

And I'm finally seeing highway signs from Boston

I'll see you soon in Boston

Sometimes fortune smiles briefly

On what you dreamt of

Before taking it all away

But put down enough highway miles

And sit around enough campfires

It'll find a way to give it back again

And even if this ain't

Our ship that's coming in

Know that every song I ever wrote was true

And as I'm counting down the miles back to

The ones who sing along

Know that all I ever needed was you

And I'll be seeing you soon in Boston

And I'm coming home to Boston

I'll see you soon in Boston

And I'm coming home to Boston

I'll see you soon in Boston

And I'm coming home to Boston

I'll see you soon in Boston

And I'm coming home to Boston

Tea cups and rocking chairs

Favorite books and goodnight prayers

Pale skin that hates the sun

Blue eyes that stay young

Thinking what you've given me

It ain't hard to see

What love has done

Got a hand me down

Kind of love

The kind that's worn into the seats

If you keep it well

While it is yours

It'll stay after you leave

Paintings and recipes

Remnants of fears and dreams

Never letting that back deck sun go down

Thinking what you've given me

It ain't hard to see what love has done

Got a hand me down

Kind of love

The kind that's worn into the seats

If you keep it well

While it is yours

It'll stay after you leave

Bumblebee with an attitude

She always tells her truth

Smart as hell

Yeah, she's just like you

Looking what you've given me

It ain't hard to see

What love has become

Got a hand me down

Kind of love

The kind that's worn into the seats

If you keep it well

While it is yours

It'll stay after you leave

If you keep it well

While it is yours

It'll stay after you leave

I don't miss you yet

Winter helps me to forget

This lie won't last the summer time

'Cause you'll be always on my mind

For football games and your back den

Screaming "Horace close that screen!" again

Or else them flies will all get in

And I'll be chasing them all day

You gave it 80 good

You gave it 80 good

It hits me when I can't drive by

As the summer's day turns into night

Cause in my mind you're still there

Poolside in the salty air

Eating peanut butter with your spoon

Big band sound filling every room

As you whistle out each tune

Going about your day

You gave it 80 good

You gave it 80 good

And at the ending of the day

When I bow my head I pray

For football games in your back deck

Screaming "Horace close that screen!" again

Or else them flies will all get in.

I'll be chasing them all day

Than Sundaychurch that you always made

With that girl you met back in second grade

My troubles always seemed to fade

When your laugh filled up the room

You gave it 80 good

You gave it 80 good

80 good

You gave it 80 good

I've got a desk full of unpaid bills

And books I haven't read

A list of things I ought to do today

And the things I'll do instead

She's miles too pretty for what I'm bringing

Since the day that we first met

She could have had diamonds and caviar

But she chose me instead

She is my better angel

She's my saving grace

She knows I ain't no good at parties

Unless I'm on a stage

And since there ain't no better story

Than the truth in this three-chord game

Know I'd be just another sinner

If it weren't for her good name

And I've been known just like my gramps

To sometimes catch a mood

And living with me ain't always easy

Girl you know it's true

But I never had to hide from her

Anything that I've done

And I owe her the moon and stars

'Cause she's always been my sun

She is my better angel

She's my saving grace

She knows I ain't no good at parties

Unless I'm on a stage

And since there ain't no better story

Than the truth in this three-chord game

Know I'd be just another sinner

If it weren't for her good name

Whoa, if it weren't for her good name

Whoa, if it weren't for her good name

I got a little notoriety

From this here guitar

But she was standing right beside of me

In all those empty bars

And in my mind it's 2:05

After school on that back hill

I can't believe she'll even talk to me

I guess I feel that still

She is my better angel

She's my saving grace

She knows I ain't no good at parties

Unless I'm on a stage

And since there ain't no better story

Than the truth in this three-chord game

Know I'd be just another sinner

You know I'd be just another sinner

You know I'd be just another sinner

If it weren't for her good name

My suits don't fit right now

But then you didn't give a warning

So I'm in a jacket and black jeans

Outside your mother's church

On a day of mourning

The windshield's sweating out the last muggy day of September

And I can't remember what it was that we last spoke

I'm learning lately you can't run away from what is in your marrow, what is in your bones

Inside waits a family

I choose to never see

Life's circumstances are convenient

For avoiding hearts

All worn upon their sleeves

They asked me here to sing for you,

I did my level best to say no, no, no, no, no, no

But I'm learning lately you can't run away from what is in your marrow

What is in your bones

I've decided that I'm done with running

Without yet knowing what that will mean

Every step I take across that parking lot, slows down like a movie scene

Now it's time and I close my eyes, sing as hard as I can

Proud as hell of my mom, that she went on that trip like she had planned

Your brother was my first best friend, now I'm desperate to avoid his eyes

Suddenly it's over and I make my way back, trying not to cry

Learning that you can't run away from what is in your marrow

What is in your bones

What is in your bones

I used to think that if I stayed away from our families, more cautionary tales

I could stifle down the parts of me I see in their broken hearts beyond repair

But it's just as bad for me to hide from them as it was for you

To pretend everything was okay

Learning that you can't run away from what is in your marrow

You can't run away from what is in your marrow

What is in your bones

What is in your bones

What is in your bones

What is in your bones

Another top-down sunset over Carson Beach

Late again, Ray's gonna give me hell

Loading in someone's yelling out, F Ty P

Bunch of guys drinking wine shouting, I know Jimmy Adams

All I can do is crack a beer and smile

I made a place for myself in this city that I love

Just hung around till I fit in

Played every dive bar, East and West of Broadway

Turning paychecks into drinks and drinks into friends

I made this place my home

I made this place my home

My buddies Zach's a lot like me

Family showed him what he would need to be

23 with a car between

I'm here to party but I still got a job

Standing on the other side

There's a girl named Lou just clocked a 24 hour

She came in here to yell two, three, four

One more time like it's Friday night

Yeah, we already played that song once but

Hey boys, let's go again

I made a place for myself in this city that I love

Just hung around till I fit in

Played every dive bar, East and West of Broadway

Turning paychecks into drinks and drinks into friends

I made this place my home

I made this place my home

Someday, we're all gonna summer down the Cape

Reminisce about shutting down Lincoln on a Tuesday night

But till then, "Hey Nico!" get us another round

We ain't going home until Steve kicks our drunk asses out

Let's go

We made a place for myself in this city that I love

Just hung around till we fit in

Played every dive bar, East and West of Broadway

Turning paychecks into drinks and drinks into friends

I made this place my home

I made this place my home

Come on, one more time, let's go

We made this place our home

Peace

"Come on Brendan, let's go"

There's a five-star job for thirty miles out to sea

Where Packy lets us play our songs

Since we were nobodies

Hell, we still are

A bearded man, beat up man, waiting out on the dock

Still can't believe our luck

Until we saw the band house and Joel's yelling

"Boys, welcome to the cluck!"

Get your ten bucks at the door

You're gonna give them two days more

Just biding our time

Till the sun goes down

Shaking off the night before

For another round

And someday I will own a piece

Of this rock that stole my heart

'Til then find us down on Dave Street

Banging on our guitars

We took Tall Paul's, carry-all, '95 Chevrolet

To the dunes ten miles out of town

Grabbed ourselves some breakfast beers

As the sun was going down

Get your ten bucks at the door

You're gonna give them two days more

Just biding our time

Till the sun goes down

Shaking off the night before

For another round

And someday I will own a piece

Of this rock that stole my heart

'Til then find us down on Dave Street

Banging on our guitars

I'm a pretty damn lucky man that I get to

Sing my days away

But a happier place I've never seen

Than looking out from this stage

Ten bucks never bothered me

Cause the hangover comes for free

Just biding our time

Till the sun goes down

Shaking off the night before

For another round

And someday I will own a piece

Of this rock that stole my heart

'Til then find us down on Dave Street

Banging on our guitars

Planned to go to Portland

But the day just slipped away

Truth be told, in the moment

I've never been good at knowing what to say

I took the kids to practice

I knew you would understand

I woulda called but I didn't want to add any weight to the avalanche

When you're trying to find a place to land without

Your tethers holding you to the ground

Leaning in to love

Is the only way I've ever found

I'll look for you in the shadows of the things you would have done

But when winter broke on St. Patrick's Day

We found you in song, in a song

Ain't much my place to say, I'm just a six string on a stage

Truth be told, it took two years to get this off the page

We've shared enough beers and cheers over the years, that tears somehow feel the same

This is what I'm thinking about when I'm singing, pretty good crowd for a Saturday, Saturday

When you're trying to find a place to land without

Your tethers holding you to the ground

Leaning in to love

Is the only way I've ever found

I'll look for you in the shadows of the things you would have done

But when winter broke on St. Patrick's Day

We found you in song, in a song

These aren't just lyrics on a nursery wall

Songs are where we keep our love

When you're trying to find a place to land without

Your tethers holding you to the ground

Leaning in to love

Is the only way I've ever found

I'll look for you in the shadows of the things you would have done

But when winter broke on St. Patrick's Day

We found you in song, in a song