Fish Story
by Thomas Wilson. Copyright 2007
Come all ye bold cut throats and hear what I say
for I've had the weirdest, most unlikely day
and if you will listen I'll sing you a song
about a meal that went suddenly, horribly wrong
Now I'm not real picky about what I eat
Mayflies and hoppers are both quite a treat
the little fat gray ones-the kind I like best
and hellgrammites, minnows, and all of the rest
Well I was a-lyin' in the hole by the waterfall
just up the stream from the big fallen tree
mindin' my business, enjoying the sunshine
about as content as a cutthroat can be
but I felt kinda hungry so thought I would try
the edge of the riffles where good things float by
before long, a morsel washed over the fall:
a little fat gray one, my favorite of all
I figured to make that there critter my lunch
but it didn't taste right and it didn't go crunch
I spit it back out for it tasted so bland
but what happened next I just don't understand
For the little gray bug grabbed a hold of my jaw
yanked me right out of my hole by the fall
I fought for deep water but to no avail
that tiny gray critter was kickin' my tail
We fought up and down for five minutes or more
til my lip scraped a boulder up close to the shore
the bug let me go then and I can't figure why
but I swear I heard cussin' from up in the sky
Exactly what happened I'm too stumped to say
a bug that strong don't come along every day
It's all so confusing, but one thing's for shore
I don't think I like them fat little gray bugs anymore.
Snow in May
by Thomas Wilson; copyright 2007
There's nothing like spring in the Popo Agie valley
the grass greening up as the rivers run high
My heart gets as light as the song of the meadowlarks
waking me up at the morning's first light
Sometimes Old Man Winter don't give up that easy
the temperature drops as the wind starts to blow
and before dawn can come all the green joy of springtime
is buried in the dead white of winter's worst snow
Chorus:
Nothing stays the same
The sun shines, the wind blows, the night turns to day
Snow that falls in May
Leaves the grass greener when it melts away
Just when I think things are going my way
Happy and healthy, playing my part
Sharing what wisdom the good Lord has given me
singing the songs that are loud in my heart
Like a storm off the mountain the hard times come down
showing the world just how little I know
It's hard to admit I've got so much to learn
when all my fine wisdom gets lost in the snow
chorus
Keep your head high when you hit those hard times
'Cause those bring endurance, and prove who you are
and the proof gives you hope, which does not come up empty
if the love of our God is poured out in your hearts
chorus
Song for Widlin
by Thomas Wilson; copyright 2007
They say his folks abandoned him 'cause they couldn't keep him fed
and by the time he came to us he was more than halfway dead
Spindley legs and fearful eyes in the cruel Haitian heat
We fed him sips of sugar milk 'cause he was too starved to eat
Every time I go down there I see the golden rule
in parents who go hungry so their kids can go to school
That little boy was lucky: he pulled through, but many don't, you see.
and it's a short, hard life for those that do
Back at home I go to work and I hear the kids complain
They make us go to class on time--it's a wonder we're still sane
We really hate this place a bunch 'cause we can't go to Taco Bell for lunch
and you just can't eat this cafeteria food
Money's tight, the job's a mess, and the house is way too small
Gasoline's outrageous and this check out line is a crawl
I can't afford that new TV--I can barely make the payment on my SUV
Oh what's a poor working man like me to do?
The greatest country in this world is the good old USA
but sometimes I think we've forgotten how we got that way
Freedom still takes sacrifice, prosperity still has a price
and nobody's going to hand it all to you.
The good Lord gives us each one life, but it's up to you to live
You can whine about what you ain't got, or you can find a way to give
Just try to look past your own nose--there's a world out there!
Do you suppose perhaps it isn't all about you?
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