Crumbling Pie

Clear eyes and a steady hand
Newborn stewards of an ancient land
Good intent corrupted by the best-laid plans
Can't find the footing on shiftin' sands
Beneath the magnolia and wonderin' why
Everybody wants a piece of the crumblin' pie
If he can get some, why can't I?

Easy listenin' to a familiar song
Easier to be a killer than admit you were wrong
We burned the daylight, now the night's so long
Never thought I'd miss it, and then it was gone
Feelin' like a tail without a dog to wag
You'd better pack some heat in your bugout bag
Livin' easy was such a drag

Two parts bourbon and one part Coke
It's the poorest man among us who has never been broke
But a good wheel needs every spoke
And if you like the punchline, you should hear the whole joke
The Lord pushes and the devil shoves
Maybe hate's just been lookin' for love
But I don't know if it's gonna be enough

Black hole greater than the celestial sum
I'm just tryin' to get back to where I come from
Packed suitcase, brandished thumb
Can't know your home 'til you've been a bum
Listen to the serpent rattle and hiss
Forty days in the desert with nobody to miss
Back to town, sold out by a kiss

What once was is what still is
The ground takes back everything that it gives
But you can't rob a man of what was never his
"Just passin' through," said the water to the sieve
It's all a dream 'til the sun goes down
Tuned out, turned off, tape unwound
Nice to know ya, see you around