From the recording On the Shores of a Dream
Beth Nealon (no relation) made this song work. She gave it snap and a sassy voice, and she tried it out with me live.
I had written a bunch of wordy songs that had trouble finding their way to people. I just wanted to write something to make people bounce a little bit. Plus I wanted to try out some banjo licks I was trying to learn, and a couple guitar licks. And then I wondered if I could make all the stressed syllables have the same vowel sound. (Almost did it!) Finally, I had a bunch of words left over, so I packed them tightly into the last verse.
Each image is a memory, of course, or at least a sensing or longing.
Anyway, people seem to enjoy it as much as we do.
Lyrics
Why pine all the time and cry? Sunrise is finally nigh
Kites fly so mighty high. Bright sky, wind sighing by
It's high time #9 rolled by. It's a fine ride down the L&I line
Bright fire in the dying light. Night sky--pirate's delight
High tide and the water's wide. I'll fly to the other side
Wildly writhing I strive to survive and I dive in the brine of the wine of your kindness
My mind is reminded by the signs of the times beside the river divine near the skyline shrine
So why pine all the time and cry?