[Verse] They handed me a wrinkled map Torn and weather-stained Said "Son It don’t lead nowhere But walk it just the same." The road ain't straight It loops and bends A dance that starts and never ends [Verse 2] I planted seeds in winter's frost Prayed they'd grow in spring Pulled weeds by hand But the thorns They cling Some days the sun Some days the flood But you reap the wind and sow the mud [Chorus] That's life A crooked song out of tune A poet's rhyme under a cold Pale moon You play your cards You lose You win— But tomorrow You wake and start again [Verse 3] Bought me a pocket watch Though time ran out years ago The hands just spin A carnival show I dance like a fool to the ticking sway Laugh 'cause there's nothing better anyway [Bridge] Well the river's deep and the river’s wide But every swimmer finds their side Maybe it’s sand Maybe it’s stone Maybe you cross it walking alone [Verse 4] An old man played his fiddle’s bow with spiderweb strings He said "Kid Life ain't gold It’s all the brass rings." I tipped my hat and threw him a dime His tune stayed stuck in the back of my mind
