safe passage

Rejoice, oh my soul
in me, at a yellow boat
on a green river.
Wind lifts its feet for the wave;
wave spreads its arms for the prow.

where the road don't go

I resisted seeing "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" for a long time because from what I had heard of it--and other things I'd seen that were written by this Hedges fellow--I expected it to be two hours of extreme emotional discomfort, nails-on-a-chalkboard style. And while there were moments like that, the tone of the relationships between the characters mitigated the painful situations enormously. Dave found the movie incredibly moving; he said for him it went right up there with "The Shawshank Redemption" in his pantheon of movies that refresh the soul and bring hope.

I don't think I'd go that far, myself, but I did write this song immediately after we watched the movie. All the stuff about trains and neighbors and the interstate is true. Also, the thing that's in "our front yard" can be read as referring to the United Center, where many people are able to escape from the toils of life for a time while watching their favorite band or sports team or circus.


we live a whistle from the interstate
but I don't even own a car
where other people go when they escape
is our front yard
the seasons circle all around the place
they try to tell us what they know
I curse the limitations of the interface
wanna tip my toes
where the road don't go
where the road don't go

our neighbors fight about the little things
we hear them screaming in the night
all I can do is sit up here and sing
that it just ain't right
tell you I love you each and every day
but I am frightened and it shows
that I'll be waiting here just turning gray
tryin to point my nose
where the road don't go
where the road don't go

the train it passes every five or ten
taking everybody home
but I don't really wanna ride with them
cause I'd be alone
we make eye contact over the remote
and we can't even hear the show
come take my hand and get your hat and coat
cause I know you know
where the road don't go
where the road don't go