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Pablo's Lights

Just a man with a boat -
That I saw in a picture long ago
Just a magazine ad
Of an old wooden ship
Brightly lit at the stern

And he smiled as he
Waved at me
Over his shoulder -
Saying, come sail with me
Welcome aboard

Just a memory
Somewhere to be when you're
Too young to run
Where each angry word
Would drown in the sound of the sea

And we'd laugh as we
Towed the line
Of a candy-cane anchor
I was one of his
Black and blue children
Fishing for angels at sea

It's Pablo's lights
That I dream of by the riverside
That I see as the horizon
Slips from the day
I've got the soul of the mainland
On my A.M. dial
But oh, what a welcome sight
To see Pablo's lights

And I'd wait for him
I could hear his diesel humming
And we'd sing along
And together we'd sound
Like a symphony

That would take me far away
From the bruises
Of the shore line
Where I'd no longer hear
The sounds of fighting
Ringing inside my head

It's Pablo's lights
That I dream of by the riverside
That I see as the horizon
Slips from the day
I've got the soul of the mainland
On my A.M. dial
But oh, what a welcome sight
To see Pablo's lights

Let them shine
It won't hurt so bad
For so long this time
Long as they shine
And I can see them
Burning bright
Now I steal these words
And these phrases from my life

Rearrange them some
And they still cut like a knife
But I'll make peace with them
And silence forever -
The slap of yesterday
Until then I'll go off
Somewhere inside my head

It's Pablo's lights
That I dream of by the riverside
That I see as the horizon
Slips from the day
I've got the soul of the mainland
On my A.M. dial
But oh, what a welcome sight
To see Pablo's lights