Dennis S. Martin's Blog, page 203

Pass the Biscuits, Please

I remember growing up,
Sundays after church was done,
Chicken dinner on the table,
Momma with her apron on.
Offered up, a silent prayer,
As we passed around the black-eyed peas,
Silence broken when someone said,
“Pass the biscuits, Please.”

Daddy cursed the coffee stain
On his favorite shirt.
All the boys can’t wait to go
Play some baseball in the dirt.
But Mom insisted we take our time
Before everybody leaves. She said,
“Let’s enjoy a little conversation,
So, pass the biscuits please.”

Preacher says that “to be a family
Is such a precious thing,
The kind of gift that will lift you up
And make your spirit sing.”
I thank the Lord for the things I’ve got
Each night on bended knees,
And Momma’s sweet love in these four words,
“Pass the biscuits, Please.”

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Beautiful Girl

Beautiful girl,
You make my spirit rise.
You’re my whole world.
Can’t you see it in my eyes?
There’s an aura hanging over you
That lets me know your love is true,
Tells me this is how it’s meant to be,
That you always will be beautiful to me.

You captured my heart,
Nothing left to hide.
I saw from the start
The beauty deep inside.
Like the innocence of a child,
Ever-present in your smile,
And time may fade what my poor eyes may see,
But you always will be beautiful to me.

Beautiful girl,
Nothing left to say.
My love for you
Growing stronger every day.
And I try to show you how I feel,
But my simple words just can’t reveal,
And a lifetime isn’t near enough to see
How you always will be beautiful to me.

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Can’t Stay Away

Can’t stay away,
Though people tell me you’ll just break my heart.
I come back anyway.
I feel so lost alone when we’re apart.
I can’t feel.
I can’t sleep.
You are constant on my mind.
So I wait patiently
Looking for some special sign.
Just as long as there’s hope
Deep down in my heart
I just can’t stay away.

I thought forevermore was just a game
Played by simple fools with nothing left to lose,
But now nothing seems to be the same.
My world has changed so much since I met you.

What’s come over me?
I used to be so cavalier when it came to love,
Play the field and never fear about breaking up.
Then we met
And I fell,
And it never was the same.
I get weak,
Can’t resist
At the mention of your name,
And I know it’s no use,
I come back because
I just can’t stay away.

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Color Me Gone

Life’s filled with colors of bright red and green.
You were the brightest that I’d ever seen.
But colors have faded since you did me wrong, 
So, you can just color me gone.

Color me gone.
Deep hues all faded to gray,
Falling like shadows at the end of the day.
Lost in the words of a sad country song,
A canvas of color me gone.

Sunrise was colored with twelve shades of red,
A pallet of passion that danced through my head.
I don’t know if you meant to string me along,
But now you can color me gone.

Color me gone.
Deep hues all faded to gray,
Falling like shadows at the end of the day.
Lost in the words of a sad country song,
A canvas of color me gone.

There may be someone who’ll fall for your lies,
Who won’t see the green in your jealous eyes.
But I’ll be much better off here on my own,
So you can just color me gone.

Color me gone.
Deep hues all faded to gray,
Falling like shadows at the end of the day.
Lost in the words of a sad country song,
A canvas of color me gone.

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Breaking Away

Trapped in a cycle of heartache and tears,
Cautioned by voices that no one else hears,
Tempted to leave, but longing to stay.
Am I better off breaking away?

Breaking away from the sorrow,
Into the light,
A brand new direction to make it all right.
Finding the freedom to face a new day.
It all starts with breaking away.

Most folks don’t notice the rut that they’re in.
They travel in circles, no chance to win.
They never consider the price that they pay
For the freedom of breaking away.

Breaking away from the sorrow,
Into the light,
A brand new direction to make it all right.
Finding the freedom to face a new day.
It all starts with breaking away.

I hope you’ll be happy, know you’ll be fine
When I’m not around to play on your mind.
But I have to shake all these dark shades of gray.
That’s why I’m breaking away.

Breaking away from the sorrow,
Into the light,
A brand new direction to make it all right.
Finding the freedom to face a new day.
It all starts with breaking away.

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Maybe You’re Right

You say there’s a reason,
A simple change of season,
For everything that happens in our lives.
No such thing as simple chance,
It’s all determined in advance
And we can see the truth if hope survives.

But I find it hard to understand
That we’re just playing out our hand,
And there’s no way for us to win the fight.
So, I just keep it in my head,
The million things you might have said.
You may be wrong, but then, maybe you’re right.

You know I’ve been a player,
A yes-man and naysayer,
Witnessed every kindness known to man.
Known the hurt of leaving,
Felt the pain of grieving.
Hard to think that it’s all in His plan.

But you keep saying you believe
That everything is pre-conceived,
The story written down in black and white.
You believe it’s all foretold, but
I keep longing for control.
You may be wrong, but then, maybe you’re right.

If there are choices to be made,
You know I’ll face them unafraid.
I won’t hesitate to stand and fight.
Those words that echo in my ear
Will help to chase away the fear,
Knowing that you may be wrong,
But then,
Maybe you’re right.


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Don’t Wait Up

I’ve been working these poor bones
Til past the setting sun.
Can’t deny I’m overdue to go out for a little fun.
I’d ask you to come along
But you’d think it’s corrupt, so
I’ll say goodnight and tell you, “Don’t wait up.”

Don’t wait up. I’ll be home late.
I’m going out tonight.
Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine.
I’m going where the lights are bright.
Dancing, singing off the wall,
Hanging out until last call,
Laughing til it hurts, so, don’t wait up.

It’s just a little honky-tonk
Where friends all gather round
To laugh and have a drink or three
Where no one tries to put you down.
I’ll be drinking kindness from
A never-empty cup until
They turn the lights out, so don’t wait up.

Don’t wait up. I’ll be home late.
I’m going out tonight.
Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine.
I’m going where the lights are bright.
Dancing, singing off the wall,
Hanging out until last call,
Laughing til it hurts, so, don’t wait up. 

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The Portrait

There was a portrait
Used to hang right here,
A prominent place on the wall,
Of an old man 
His face weathered with years,
His dark eyes saying it all. 
I remember the way 
His eyes seemed to follow

As I solemnly walked past his gaze.
It was like he was there
To watch over me
And protect me the rest of my days.

This old house is coming down.
They say it’s not safe.
I guess that it’s probably true.
There’s no one around,
No one left to remember
When it was all shiny and new.
But a house is just walls,
A roof and a floor
Where you can come in from the cold.
It’s the people who live inside her portrait
Who are worth more than silver and gold.

And I think of that portrait
          Where it hangs today
                    Of my guardian angel with wings.
And it fills me with hope
          And joy beyond measure until
          My heart fairly sings
With the peace of mind that portrait brings.

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Wishful Thinking

Turmoil in the Middle-East,
Vain attempts to tame the beast,
Looks like this could go on for a while.
Violence running in the streets
Makes you cautious when you meet a stranger;
Puts you in denial.
When I think of how it used to be
The feelings all come back to me
To comfort me just like a long-lost friend, 
But that restful feeling starts to sink
And I guess it’s wishful thinking 
But I wish that we could be that way again. 

Oh, Lord, take me by the hand. You know
There’s not much I demand.
All I want is a little peace of mind.
And no, I ain’t been drinking,
Just a little wishful thinking
And a prayer to leave my troubles all behind.

I think about the innocents trapped behind coincidence,
Victims of the times in which they live.
And those who have more than they need,
Who cheat and hide behind their greed
When they’re the ones who have so much to give.
Why, dear Lord, won’t they relent,
Bend a little and repent,
Give up some of their ill-gotten gain.
I guess it’s just a fantasy
How these thoughts seem to come to me
And flood my mind like some torrential rain.

Oh, Lord, take me by the hand. You know
There’s not much I demand.
All I want is a little peace of mind.
And no, I ain’t been drinking,
Just a little wishful thinking
And a prayer to leave my troubles all behind. 

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Going Back to Oz

I thought that all those little people
Really did exist; the ones who cared
To help along the way. .
And I thought I had some close friends to
Stick by through thick and thin.
Now I’m left with just one thing to say.

I’m going back to Oz,
If only in my mind;
A simple place where my poor heart
Won’t get left behind. I’ll take
That winding road to happiness
Where I can freely roam
To where the answer waits
To find my way back home.

If only I had half a brain
Or a heart made out of tin,
I’d maybe find the courage
To face the world again.
If I can find the magic
That lies deep inside of me, 
Then maybe I can make my dreams 
Become reality.

So, I’m going back to Oz,
If only in my mind;
A simple place where my poor heart
Won’t get left behind. I’ll take
That winding road to happiness
Where I can freely roam
To where the answer waits
To find my way back home.

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