Whenever I can’t take no more of all the news and noise
I tie my walkin’ shoes up on my feet
And I go past the Stop sign where the dandelions grow
And head on down to Washington Street

And I see there’s Mary Daley like she is most every night
Sittin’ with her newborn on the stoop
Watchin’ all her others playin’ in the driveway
Throwin’ basketballs at that old rusty hoop.

And God bless Al Pischiotta in his orange folding chair
Lookin’ through the off-track racing form
And Helen Williams pullin’ weeds and pressin’ on her back
While the kids run through the sprinkler on the lawn.

And my mother told me every life’s a story
You never see the heartache and defeat
But still it seems to me things are just like they should be
When I’m walkin’ down on Washington Street

Here comes the ice cream truck ringin’ that old bell
Kids runnin’ out and wavin’ dollar bills
Driver man handin’ out the snow cones and the crunch bars
Whike the kids lean in to feel the freezer chill

And there’s that fella I seen works up at the bank
Chippin’ whiffle golf balls in a cup
And the little brown-eyed boy that stays with Lisa Frank
Til her sister comes from work to pick him up

And my mother told me every life’s a story
You never know the tragedies they meet
But still it seems to me things are just as they should be
When I’m walkin’ down on Washington Street

There’s sweet Amelia Fusik, sittin’ on her porch
Lookin’ out at some place far away
Lost her husband to the Covid, 50 years together
But I know she’s gonna be OK

©2022 John CadleyJohn Cadley Music, BMI

They used to call me drunken Joe, I had the demon bad
Bridges, parks and alleys was the only homes I had
Drank that hopped-up sweet wine, slept right where I fell
And you couldn’t found a sadder soul in the coldest part of hell.

My buddy Charley told me ‘bout some skinny little priest
Who said his church and mission was out here on the streets
Said he had a place up north where the lake winds dump the snow,
Some old farm that he’d fixed up for the men to go.

I laughed and said, O Charley, I know them preacher men
They love to say them magic words and hear you say Amen
But it ain’t me they care about, it’s my immortal soul
And Charley, I done lost that a long, long time ago

Now Charley drank some whiskey and passed the bag to me
He said this Father Ray he thinks a little differently
He don’t want no converts, he just means to let you know
You can always come and stay with him, up where the men go.

And it ‘s warm and dry in winter, there’s fresh air in the spring
You can plant your own damn garden and grow most anything
You can walk back into nature, you can feel the summer sun
And ain’t no one gonna ask you ‘bout the bad things that you done.

‘Cause Father Ray thinks every bum that walks upon that land
Has all the worth and value of any other man, ‘n he don’t
Act no high and mighty ‘cause the man believes it’s true
But for the grace of God he’d be right here with me and you.

That night I slept and dreamed about the things that Charlie said
Next day I went to find him and they said “Ol’ Charlie’s dead”
I cried and prayed for Charlie ‘cause I meant to let him know
Tomorrow I’d be headin’ north, up where the men go

I stayed up there for 15 years and there never was a day
When I didn’t thank the Lord, my God for Father Ray McVey
With them big ears and them patched up pants he made me realize
That Jesus sure could make himself a pretty good disguise.

And that’s just how you’d feel when he sat and talked to you
Something in his eyes, like Jesus was there too
And I know it was a miracle the day I turned to see
The soul I thought I lost for good came flyin’ back to me.

Now I’ve up and packed my sack, I had to move along
To a place that’s s even better than that sweet old farm
And my good ol’ buddy Charley, he wants you all to know
He’s sittin’ right up here with me, up where the men go.


©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

They say that there’s another life when this one is through
I never did believe it but now I hope it’s true
Just so I can get the chance to say these words to you:
I’m so sorry….I never knew.

You never were the man I wanted you to be
I didn’t understand why you hid yourself from me
The things you said, the things you did, they were such a mystery
I was so young….I could not see.

I never knew, I never knew
All the things that you went through
Just like all the others, I turned my back on you
I’m so sorry…I never knew

I lied and made up stories to cover up my shame
I grew up sad and angry when they called me by your name
And when you drank that whiskey and I’d hate what you became
I never knew… it was to kill the pain.

CHORUS

And when you died on All Saints Day and momma called me home
And through the days that followed she told me of things I’d never known
The stories of your life and how they cut you to the bone
The suffering… you bore all alone.

I never knew, I never knew
How your life was such a struggle through and through
So please, oh please, forgive me for the way I treated you
I’m so sorry…I never knew
I’m so sorry, I never knew.

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

When a thing so small your eye can’t even see
Brings 7 billion people to their knees
What have you learned?

When a lover’s whisper sweet as angel’s breath
Could turn out to be the kiss of death
What have you learned?

When the Man says your travelin’ days are through
You gotta go on home and be alone with you
What have you learned?

What happens when it all goes upside down
When you know you’ve reached the point of no return
When things that could never happen start happening all around
What have you learned….what have you learned?

When you’ve always worked to give your kids enough to eat
Now there ain’t no jobs and you could wind up the street
What have you learned?

When you’ve always hid your face so no one sees the scars
Now you wear a mask and everyone knows who you are
What have you learned?

When they call to say your own sweet mother’s bound to die
And you can’t even hold her hand and say goodbye
What have you learned?

What happens when the master plan goes up in smoke
And the handle on the exit door don’t turn
And all that you are left with are the words the prophets spoke
What have you learned, what have you learned?
What have you learned, what have you learned?
What have we learned, what have we learned?

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

We got a love for the ages, babe, we’re agein’ every day
You got aches, I got pains, we both got a little more gray.
The stairs are getting’ steeper, the winter sure feels colder
Or maybe they’re just the same, and we’re just getting older.

You got that hip that keeps you up at night, I can’t bend my knee
You tip left, I lean right, oh we must be a sight to see
That bad arthritis got your hands all sore, it’s doin’ the same to my shoulder
So pass the Ibuprorfen, girl…..we’re gettin’ older.

Yeah the years are rollin’ up on us but you and me don’t mind
We know we got a love that’s outside the walls of time
The day willl write the words, and the years will turn the pages
And the story will tell how you and me fell in a….love for the ages.

So I’ll go take my nap at four, you’ll take yours at three
Eat an early supper, local news on the TV
Read our books by the fire til the embers start to smolder
Wrapped up tight in the one thing that’s never getting’ older.

Yeah, the years are rollin’ up on us but you and me don’t mind
We know we got a love that’s outside the walls of time
The days will write the words, and the year will turn the pages
And the story will tell how you and me fell in a….love for the ages.
Yeah the story will tell how you and me fell in a…love for the ages.

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

The days are hard, the nights are slow
The hour of the wolf is all you know
Mouth’s dry as vinegar, blood hissin’ in your ears
Chest burning with nameless fears

Every thing you have to do
Is like a mad dog that wants a piece of you
Dust in your stomach, tremor in your hand
Not a soul who understands

And so it goes from bad to worse
When you’re livin’ with the family curse.

Dark grey fog behind your eyes
Mind that speaks a thousand lies
Can’t trust a thing you think or feel
It’s all a dream….and it’s all real

Coldest way to feel alone
Is to be so homesick and you’re already home
Cry for mother, she’s not there
Ain’t no comfort anywhere.

That’s how it is, how it works
When you’re livin’ with the family curse

Light the candles, say the prayers
Hope to God that God is there
Set your jaw, hold the wolf at bay
Live to fight another day.

And hope that you can stand the worst
When you’re livin’ with the family curse

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

Don’t be afraid, my little one, don’t be afraid tonight
I’m right here beside you and everything’s all right
I know it sounds like fingers tapping on your window pane
But don’t be afraid my little one, it’s just a little rain.

Don’t be afraid my little one, though the night seems dark and cold
There’s someone here who loves you with all the love a heart can hold
I know that wind outside sounds like a big, bad hurricane
But it’s just the leaves up in the trees…it just a little rain.

And some day when you’re older and you feel this way again
When the world outside seems scary and the night will never end
Don’t give up your hopes, don’t give up your dreams
The things that you’re afraid of are never what they seem

Don’t be afraid my little one, close your eyes and sleep
The shepherd’s on the hillside watching over all his sheep
And when you wake tomorrow and you see the sun again
You can run through all the puddles that were just a little rain.
Yes, you can splash and spray your fears away…’cause it was just a little rain.

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

Don’t tell me there’s a reason, don’t tell me there’s a plan
Don’t tell me that there’ll come a day when we’ll all understand
Don’t tell me these things happen, it’s just the way life goes
Don’t tell me, no don’ tell me, ‘cause I don’t wanna know.

Don’t tell me ‘bout my good friend dyin’ in his prime
How there’s gotta be a reason, how it must have been his time
Don’t say he’s in a better place where the streets are paved with gold
Don’t tell me, no don’t tell me, ‘cause I don’t wanna know.

You say we’ll see the grand design in the sweet old bye-and-bye
We’ll understand the evil that makes the angels cry
You may be right, you may be wrong, but all I gotta say
Is for me there ain’t no heaven worth the hell we gotta pay.

Don’t tell me ‘bout the innocents shot down in their schools
Don’t say it’s just some crazy stupid psychopathic fool
Don’t tell me how our thoughts and prayers will ease the awful blow
Don’t tell me, oh don’t tell me, ‘cause I don’t wanna know.

You say we’ll see the master plan in our home beyond the sky
We’ll forget all about the suffering and the fear in the children’s eyes
You say it’s not for us to understand the Good Lord’s ways
But for me there ain’t heaven’s worth the hell we gotta pay.

So talk about your reasons, believe in all your plans
Keep waitin’ for that hallelujah day when we’ll all understand
Say your prayers for the ones like me who can’t believe it’s so
But if you do don’t tell me, ‘cause I don’t want to know.
Yeah if you’re gonna pray I’ll see the light some day, I don’t wanna know.

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

It was down near Brownsville, Texas, May of ’65
John Williams thought that he might just escape this war alive
They heard General Lee’d surrendered up north a month ago
But they couldn’t lay their guns down til the Colonel told ‘em so.

That was Union Colonel Barrett and he had other plans
To hit the johnnies one more time down by the Rio Grande
He sent the 34th Indiana boys in their coats of blue
With John Williams there among ‘em at the age of 22…
22…from Jay County, Indiana, at the age of 22

Now the rebel troopers at Fort Brown they surely was surprised
To see the Yankees coming as the sun begun to rise
They’d all agreed there’d be a truce til the call to go home came
Each side would stay right where they was if the other did the same.

So the federals won that first day and they took some prisoners back
And they rested near Palmetto Ranch for the second day’s attack
Meanwhile, there was old Rip Ford at the Confederate command
Sayin’ if them Yanks want trouble, well they surely found their man…
They found their man…yeah, .if them fed’rals still want trouble well they surely found their man.

‘Cause Old Rip had some cannon the blue coats didn’t know
He’d gotten from the Frenchies fightin’ down in Mexico
And he rolled ‘em in position right up near the ranch’s wall
To serve the Yanks their breakfast with some 8-pound cannon balls.

And the Yanks they soon was beaten, they dropped their guns and ran
And they all said they was lucky that they’d only lost one man
That was Private Johnny Williams out there starin’ at the sky
With the dead eyes of the last man in the civil war to die…
oh to die…the very last man in that dreadful bloody civil war to die.

Now you can say John Williams death it was an awful shame
But every war that’ll ever be is bound to end the same
A bullet flies, a young man dies, the final bugle blows
And who the last will ever be there ain’t nobody knows.

It was down near Brownsville, Texas, May of ‘65
John Williams thought that he might just escape this war alive…

© 2019 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

Now you’ve come to the place of the burning winds
Where the paved road ends and the desert begins
Your mind is saying your journey’s done
But your soul is whispering that it’s just begun

‘Cause somewhere out there beyond the sand
They say there’s a place called the Promised Land
Where the angels wait with a golden key
To loose your chains and set you free.

That’s what they say but it’s up to you
To find out if what they say is true
You gotta bet it all on a pilgrim’s prayer
That the mighty God of Abraham waits to meet you there

You read the Holy Book, you learned the Golden Rule
You said all the prayers that you learned in school
But there ain’t no answers when you come to stand
At the place that the saints call No Man’s Land

You cross that line, you’re on your own
An orphan child without a home
No path to guide your steps along
Nobody gonna to tell you if you’re right or wrong

‘Cause if you go, you go alone
And leave behind everything you’ve ever known
You’ll wander lost, you’ll wonder why
Silence is the only answer to your lonesome cry.

It’s step by step, day by day
Too cold to sleep, too hot to pray
A hundred doubts, a thousand fears
Soakin’ the desert with a river of tears

And when your strength is gone and your spirit’s numb
And you lie and wait for death to come
That’s when they say He reaches down his hand
And carries you over to the Promised Land.

So now you stand where the hot winds blow
Wonderin’ you which way you’re gonna go
Stay on the smooth road laid down by somebody else
Or step out on the shifting sands and find out for yourself.


Now you’ve come to the place of the burning winds
Where the paved road ends and the desert begins
Your mind is saying your journey’s done
But your soul is whispering that it’s just begun….

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

They say that love is blind, oh and I belive it’s true
‘Cause all I see is heaven when I look at you.
Yeah, in these star-struck eyes of mine you can’t do nothin’ wrong
I got you high on a pedestal ‘caus that’s where you belong

But I still hear things and I know they’re true
Just because I’m blind, don’t mean I’m stupid too
Yeah, you think I don’t know ‘cause I pretend that I don’t see
But just ‘cause I’m a fool for you, don’t think you’re foolin’ me.

I tell you that I love you, you say you love me too
But babe it ain’t no secret, I mean it more than you
But that’s all right, sweet darlin’, I’ve always known the score
To take whatever love you give and never ask for more.

But that don’t mean that I don’t cry
When I know that my sweet heaven’s with some other guy
So I’ll pretend you never see my pain and misery
But just ‘cause I’m a fool for you, don’t think you’re foolin’ me.
Yeah, just ‘cause I’m a fool for you, don’t think you’re foolin’ me.

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

I got a dream as big as Texas and I know it’s my destiny
They’re all gonna know my name, they’re all gonna love me
I’ll be the best there ever was so everyone can see
I’m not like them, I’m different, I’m the one they want to be

Yeah, I’m a man of single purpose, dead set on the prize
The cheers and the applause, the admiration in their eyes
Second best’s means nothin’, I gotta beat ‘em it all
So they can look at me as big….and I can look at them as small.

But then…there’s that other dream
That comes at night and makes me scream

That’s when I get up from my bed, I walk down the hall
Touch the rows of pictures hangin’ on the wall
Famous people every one all autographed to me
You gotta be somebody to be in such company

And I’ll walk down the boulevard in the middle of the night
Down to where the marquis sign has my name in lights
And I’ll stay out till the beak of day, don’t wanna go to bed
Don’t wanna see that dream come up floatin’ in my head

It’s dark and cold and misty, I’m in the deep woods all alone
The fog has closed behind me and I’ve lost the path to home
And I feel a terror rising as I look around and see
The only cheering is the screech owl, the only audience is me.
©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI

The lights re going out across the river
Every year another one or two
So sad to see them go, so sad because I know
They won’t come back and there’s nothing I can do.

The lights are going out across the river
I remember when so many shined so bright
Even when the sun set low, you could sit there in the glow
And never feel the coming of the night

And sometimes when it makes my heart so heavy
I get on board the night boat when she comes
And I drift on down to where there’s wine and dancing
And pretend it’s like it was when I was young.
But the dreams they always fades with the morning sun

So I sit and watch the lights across the river
And I wonder who’s there looking back at me
Do they see a flame so bright, or just a flickering candle light
Am I going out like the others that I see?

The lights are going out across the river
But tonight I’ll count the ones I still can see
Yes, I’ll say a thankful prayer for the ones who still are there
And be grateful for the light they shine on me.

The lights are gong out across the river…..

©2022 John Cadley
John Cadley Music, BMI