Stage Lights

Nobody tells you right from the start

When you spend all your money

On your first real guitar,

The love of a lyric, a life in a bar

And the tug-of-war that's in between

You try to stay relevant

You try to stay real

You follow your feelings

But you try not to feel

Asses in seats are the only appeal

To the gatekeepers holding your dreams

Till the stage lights come on

And it's me and my songs

That's the closest to home

That I've ever been

One hour a night

There's no struggle no fight

No right or wrong

When the stage lights come on

The whole night can hinge on one middle-aged man

In the back of the room

With two beers in his hands,

My concentration and all who attend

Are drowned in a glass of red wine

Heaven forbid that I'd say anything

He damn sure don't care

This isn't his dream

But it's too late to get my hat out of the ring

So I guess I'll try changing his mind

When the stage lights come on

And it's me and my songs

Well, that's the closest to home

That I've ever been

An hour a night

there's no struggle no fight

No right or wrong

When the stage lights come on

No counting attendance, comparing myself

To songwriters, singers, and everyone else

For a moment in time, I don't need anyone's help

To be who I was born to be

When the stage lights come on

And it's me and my songs

That's the closest to home

That I've ever been

One hour a night

There's no struggle no fight

No write or wrong

When the stage lights come on

No right or wrong

When the stage lights come on