Flood

Hands full of holes and some dirt in the blood The state took his weed and his Mexican mud He tied his own noose so to save him from hell The state put him under a methadone spell The spell wore off, though it took a few years Some spirits mixed in with the bud and the beer But he kicked it for good when his best friend died Jumped into a canyon when he knew he couldn't fly My father told me what his father told him Said, "Don't judge a man for the man that he is But the man that he wants to be" It's hard to come down after touching the clouds When the boots that they give you aren't tied to the ground And breaking your back for a blue collared dream Just opens the crack that the great river needs To tear down the wall, to bring on the flood To level the castles of sand that you love But you'll kick it for good when the kids leave home 'Cause if you can't work sober then you're better off stoned My father told me what his father told him Said, "Don't judge a man for the man that he is But the man that he wants to be" I said to him, "Man, I am calling your bluff If you wanted to change, you'd have given it up" He looked at me, sad, as if he'd been beat Then he summoned the courage to speak "You think you're so wise, well, just wait 'til you're old You'll find that with time it gets harder to know What a good man is, but you also will find That it gets more important to try" Yes, it gets more important to try