I guess there's no accounting for timing And, I would never turn my back on luck I've never been too good at disguising Or, pretending that I was not struck I guess I could've been a bit cooler But, then again, the coolest thing I ever did Was to ask for your number and tell you I love you I kept nothing hid

So, we'll take our time as days go by We will treasure what we never can reclaim And, from far away, a Mother's grace Comes the sound of someone calling Now, a boy with deep brown eyes, in a lonely place But, he tells you that he's happy So, we'll face the hours, embrace the years Making lists and drawing marks upon our walls And, closer still, a Father's face Neither one will be forgotten Just like a dog, in the curl of sleep, forever blessed I wish you everything you wanted (Chorus) Is there something that you need from me? Is there something I should say? I think you always get the best of me All the rest I'd throw away I think it's always been that way So, we'll chase the hands in a backwards race I remember how I longed for you to stay As the dawn came in, I fell asleep Intoxicated and so beautifully beguiled Illuminated, as the Springtime fell After Winter seemed forever So, we'll watch the Sun, we'll see it shine In the light we'll watch it grow, our greatest hope Most precious one, and we'll let go But, still hold on just like a Brother And, if I had to tell the truth, the best I'd do Is in the end I know the water always wins (Chorus) So, I see us still just as we were I read "Stones of Summer" through the fleeting light Into the Fall, the quiet still And, if I promised you a poem I'd write it down In the early hours, just like I do And, wine and letters on your birthday (Chorus)

The whole thing started in the Wintertime Now, it's Summer right outside my door I'm just like you, lover, waiting for good news I wake up in the morning and you're next to me Still, I'm feeling just a bit unsure It's been a long time, lover, just trying not to lose We were rolling right along, just like a Southbound train Or, the thunder when the rains come in Strong and true and certain in our time Then the whole thing changed, not me and you But the world that we were living in I should've seen it coming, but I guess I missed the signs (Chorus) Friends will visit now and then Your sister's on the phone As we try to sleep, it's just you and me And, our baby in the other room I hold you closely, all through the nite I know it sure feels dark outside But, it'll soon be light My dear, the dawn is coming, it'll soon be light Feeling every second like you can't escape From the demons of the nite before Harder still are the ones that you don't know But, we've always been together, lover, now I feel Like we're together just a little more We got one shot, mama, let's give it our best go You've got a Swan around your neck There's an Eagle overhead and there's a Hawk sitting on our fence I've got stones in my pocket, I'm seeing Butterflies I'm writing letters to our friends, I'm writing songs for you And, it seems like such a long time since We could just sit around and think of nothing for a little while (Chorus)

In the middle of anywhere two people sit He's looking at her and she's looking at him Inside the stillness, both locked down again But, there's nothing to win They're both losing again He searches for words as a cigarette burns How many times before one of them learns She puts her hands through her hair He shifts, and he turns, he says "I love you know..." But, it comes out like a warning She says, "I love you, too" as the smoke swirls above "But, are we just familiar, or really in love?" He says, "I'm trying to please you" She says, "Don't try so much..." as her voice trails off He swallows down hard (Chorus) It's the little things keep breaking us down It's the little things keep breaking us down It's the little things keep breaking us down Yeah, they're breaking us down... Somebody's early, or somebody's late Somebody's tired, someone made a mistake Someone forgot, someone misunderstood But, the intention was good... But, so often we find Always a step out of time Like we're falling behind (Chorus) He says, "Let me show you the things I still see" "In all of my pictures, you're standing with me" She says, "Do you think we're as strong, you and me" "As strong as we need to be?" "'Cause it seems like we should be..." (Chorus)

The first time that I saw you, dear You were dressed in black Your hair was beautiful and long Curved graceful, like the neck of a swan I didn't expect you, dear But, still I had been waiting On that bright March morning, darling I began creating Mental sketches of a love affair One with me and you Me, the battered troubador You, elusive truth Me, I saw it that first day But, you, you saw it sooner You told me years later That right away you knew it On that morning, long ago I still see it clearly My Black Swan amidst the white ones The One I love so dearly Every now and then it happens The exception to the rule The unanticipated The unpredictable Some may speak of miracles Some may speak of chance Some may speak of mystery We'll never understand But, darling, I don't need to figure out What I already know We'll always be together, dear My Black Swan upon the snow On that morning, long ago I still see it clearly My Black Swan amidst the white ones The one I love so dearly

I met her in December Looking back it just makes sense Me and her starting something Just when the year was starting to end But, I met you in the Springtime Just when the snow was starting to melt She was years away, but I was never afraid About telling you just how I felt But, at first, you seemed a bit uncertain You told me that your life was a mess But, I was falling for you and all the things that you do And the way you looked inside that dress So, I kissed you on the steps at midnite I was scared I might've made a mistake I was cursing to myself as I walked to the street But, I was smiling when you called the next day (Chorus) I guess there's no accounting for timing And I would never turn my back on luck I've never been too good at disguising Or, pretending that I was not struck I guess I could've been a bit cooler But, then again, the coolest thing I ever did Was to ask for your number, and tell you I love you I kept nothing hid (Bridge) I said it first, then I said it stronger You kept me waiting just a little longer Now, there's a ring upon your finger I got one around mine, too And, it always fits just right, my dear It ain't too tight and it isn't too loose I still kiss you on the steps at midnite And, I whisper that I'll never forget I'm still falling for you and all the things that you do And the way you look inside that dress (Chorus)

I remember you well in the city As your hair danced around in the breeze And, the glance that you gave as you reached in your pocket You left a letter and stood up to leave You left a letter and stood up to leave I stared at the words that you wrote I took a pull from my beer and I didn't say a word I watched as you walked out the door He reached out to her on a Sunday By Friday, she still had not called Then she's drunk at his door on a Saturday morning But, soon she'd forgotten it all And, then she says, "It's just the way that it's written..." "Maybe we'll understand it someday" Now, he walks down the road, he's got a chip on his shoulder He says, "I will not be treated this way" (Chorus) I will not be treated this way I will not be treated this way I walk down the road, I got a chip on my shoulder I will not be treated this way This scene ain't no different than anyplace else It's a puddle that thinks it's a sea All the hip people sit at the back of the bar And, they're looking so pleasantly pleased They're looking so pleasantly pleased Saluting the beautiful ones Everyone thinks that they're somebody else With magnificent work to be done There's a rich man who sits at a table He's surrounded by piles of gold And, people who smile as they reach in his pocket Each one does just what they're told So, why does he feel so alone He feels so alone and afraid He's got all the best things that money can buy But, it seems he gets worse everyday (Chorus) It's true that I'm just getting older But, I feel pretty much just the same As I did long ago, when I started this road And, I think it's a poor goddamn shame If you drink from the cup of forgiveness You lose yourself deep in a dream And wake up to find that nobody's been saved My dear, you'll know just what I mean (Chorus)

Winter came early in '74 and along with rain and the snow Influenza returned and with a vengeance it burned Through the cities and the rich country homes With death indiscriminate calling for whoever should answer the door There were many fell victim who didn't see the Spring From the Winter of '74 Mary and Margaret were sisters and together they'd lived their whole lives They never did marry, in the city they lived, growing older as the years passed them by Margaret took ill that December, doctor said there's not much I can do Her best chance to survive is any hope that resides In her soul that just might pull her through But, Margaret was ready for leaving, by the window in her bed where she lay So resigned to her fate, not a meal would she take, lady waiting on her final day As she stared out her window each morning at the leaves on the vine 'cross the lane She said, "Mary, I know that when the last leaf is gone Then, I, too, shall no longer remain" Joseph was an artist in the city, "He's crazy", the townsfolk would say He'd walk through the streets, speak of his masterpiece, "Yes, I know that I'll paint it someday" He lived below Mary and Margaret, he stopped up to see them each day And, as Margaret lay dying, he could hear Mary crying As the wind shook the leaves 'cross the lane Several days passed, Margaret still hanging on, she said, "Mary, I think it must be a sign" "Despite the wind and the rain, I can see through the pane, that one leaf still remains on the vine" "Please bring me some broth, my dear Sister, I'm feeling much better today" "I thought death was calling, but the last leaf ain't fallen" "Guess to die now, it isn't my fate" The news reached them later that evening, old Joseph the painter had died He was found in his bed, his clothes icy and wet, his pallet and brush by his side Dear Margaret, did you never wonder why that leaf never shook in the breeze He painted it there in the cold Winter air For you he made his masterpiece He saved you with his masterpiece

Outside the sun is shining, it's my birthday once again Phone calls, cards, and letters, best wishes from my friends Talking to my brother on the telephone today "Is there something that you need? I could send it off your way..." I wish that I could tell him, "Yeah, there's something you could send" "Like an answer, a correction or a key" And, I hope I can protect you from whatever's 'round the bend I'll do my best, whatever it may be (Chorus) I'd give up all my years just to dry away your tears That you might find some comfort, that you might have your time I'd do anything for you, it ain't some empty platitude More a cry of desperation in the nite "Won't you be alright..." The light shines through our windows, every morning every day You paint a perfect picture, and you give it back to me You always were unlikely, but I never doubted you Such strength behind the beauty and you always speak the truth You and me, the lucky ones, even in our darkest hour We'll fight the beast as others taste the tea The two of us together, darling, every minute matters now We can see that that's the way that it should always be (Chorus)

I don't believe in the churches They always seemed like a bust But, I believe in forgiveness And, I believe I can trust In the eyes of my child In my lover at dawn I believe in the music, I believe in the songs There's winners and losers Little sores and bruises that cover us all...

I remember you in the Mississippi blue As the grass beside the river turned to green You were just a kid with a lot of stuff kept hid I always tried to be a place where you might lean Now, it's crazy, Katie, dear, to think that you're not here The songs we used to sing still sound the same 'Cept, then again, they don't, I guess it's hard to figure out I still hope you might pass by this way again (Chorus) Katie, a picture lasts forever, darlin' Katie, I don't think it had to be this way katie, someday we'll be together, darlin' Katie, I think about you every single day It was not so long ago in the early April snow We sat beside the window and you spoke As that Springtime nighttime fell, I wonder still if you could tell I allowed the both of us just a little hope Now, there're pictures on the wall, I used to love to watch you draw I got a folder of the stuff you left undone There's a dream I sometimes have and sometimes I meet you in it In the silence, for just a second, then you're gone...

Let's pack up all our recent troubles, babe We'll throw 'em all into a sack We could drive straight through to the ocean, babe We'll dump 'em in and never will look back I'll find you stones inside the canyon, babe I'll keep a couple just for luck I'll show you faces on the mountain, babe No matter what I say it could never be enough (Chorus) I play my music in the nighttime I earn my money in the day I've got a feeling that we're gonna be okay I say it to you, darling, and it sure sounds good to me I know I trouble you sometimes, my dear I cannot leave well enough alone But, it's only comfort that I seek, my dear Misunderstood, but I'm not trying to do you harm I tell you stories from Ohio, babe I tell you secrets that I keep You give me photographs of you from long ago They paralyze me, dear, sometimes when you're asleep Yeah, I get lost inside them sometimes when you're asleep They devastate me, darling, sometimes when you're asleep (Chorus) Sometimes I think I don't deserve you, babe But, other times I think I do And when I tell you that I love you, babe It's only 'cause it's true And everything I do it's all because of you (Repeat first verse) (Chorus)

In the early days of me and you We got a dog and we named him Louie All of us were younger then He was just 8 weeks old with all that wrinkled skin You'd decided you'd move in with me We'd get a dog, it'd be just us three I remember many weekend mornings At a coffee shop looking through the listings We were looking for a Shar Pei pup You know, the Chinese dogs, look so cute and funny You said you'd always wanted one They were hard to find but we sure had fun We read a couple books, learned about the breed 'Bout their different coats and their maladies We learned about their histories Smuggled out from China sometime in the sixties There wasn't room for dogs in the revolution In the midst of all that persecution Someone thought to save these dogs Sent 'em out through Hong Kong 'fore they all were lost We were on a hunt and one day we found Just an hour out of town The ad said "Shar Pei pups for sale" So, we called the number and made our way Out to the country and we found the place We could see the big dogs through the gate I said, "They kind of look ferocious" You paused a second, then you shrugged your shoulders You said, "All the puppies must be in the house" Then the door flew open, and a man came out He said, "Glad you made it, let me get the pups" He disappeared a minute, then he came back up They came rolling out in a joyous mess There were little puppies every place we stepped Cutest things we'd ever seen They were nipping and yelping and rolling and peeing We must've spent two hours with those dogs Trying to find the one for us The pups were tired, back in their beds After all that playing could barely keep their heads up From that litter of pups we'd pared it down to two But, how to know which one to choose? The little boy or the little girl Falling fast asleep inside their little worlds So, we called them gently one last time One little puppy began to rise That little boy mustered all his strength And, though he looked so tired, he came back out to see us Right then we knew he was the one We signed the papers and brought him home On your lap, the whole ride sitting So proud and brave, just like he was a king I'm not sure why we called him "Louie" It just seemed to fit that little puppy For his AKC registration name We decided we'd call him "King Louie the Brave" (Chorus) He was the King of 49th Street And I don't think he's really gone It's only now we just don't see him But, I believe he's still around He's standing noble at the threshhold He watches over what we do I am not crazy, here's the thing He was the King of 49th Street And I say, "Long live the King" That first summer I can't forget We took him with us every place we went Every place we'd go, all the folks would stop To say "hello" and play with that friendly pup He was a rascal from the very start A bandit with a giant heart And though the breed can sometimes be aloof He greeted everybody with a friendly "woof" Right away we knew he was a special dog He was smart and clever and quick and strong As a little puppy he'd play the clown He'd crawl up a hill and then he'd roll back down again and again... He was with us when you married me In the last days of the century In a city park, he wore a black bow-tie When we said our vows, he was by our side I know some folks thought it was kind of funny To include our dog in the ceremony But, for us, it never was a question As the old saying goes, he was our best friend Two years later, we got another dog A Great Dane named Napoleon We thought that Louie might like a friend He kind of did and he kind of didn't He was used to being the only one So, they'd fight a little bit, off and on Though he was much smaller, he held his own A noble king fighting for his throne (Chorus) Then, in the year 2004 Our family grew a little more On a February Monday morn You gave to me a perfect son We were a little nervous about the dogs With a newborn baby in the house I brought blankets from the hospital To give the dogs a sniff of who was coming But, as it went, we didn't need to worry About Napoleon or Louie We named our baby "Jonathan" And they loved him like he was one of them The years went by, he slowed down a touch But, not so much that it worried us He still looked slim, he still looked strong Until one Fall morn, I noticed something wrong I found a little lump inside his throat... We lost him in the Wintertime We could not save him for the tears we cried We built a fire, and played my songs On his favorite couch inside his favorite arms We took it hard, did the best we could I think it hurt much harder than we thought it would He was the first thing that we did together You know what I mean, though I could write it better Somehow the love we shared for that little dog It was like a picture of the two of us Though I'm crying a little as I write this song It's only 'cause I miss him, not because he's gone Now, his ashes rest inside an urn Your father sculpted out of wax and bronze It's beautiful, fit for a king But, it's just his body inside that thing I promised I'd remember him I promised him that I wouldn't forget I promised him that I'd write this song So, here it is... (Chorus)