Life is Not a Cover Band

Well, we met on some pagan holiday
Back when we were young
In a well-lit alleyway
We were out of places to run
And we both had hopes and fears
And shared ‘em oh so sweet
‘Til we learned that hope and fear
Meant basically the same thing
And all you did was tell me
How much you hated men
And all I did was keep on screwing up
In support of your defense
Oh, but still we awoke together
Kissed by the sun’s warm hands
And all that lay between us
Was a couple of grains of sand
And you whispered in my ear
With your morning breath so sweet
Said, “As we trip through this road of life
There’s more than one way to dream”
And you were the smiling feminist
With controversial thoughts on God
And I was the awkward youth
In love with Harold and Maude
You said the constitution’s become a burden
The judge don’t take no cards
And the cops are the most confused
Out of any of us by far
Well, we didn’t have much in common
Fate seemed a little scared
Oh, I wanted to be a farmer
And you wanted to be a millionaire
But our differences weren’t the problem
It was those similarities we had
‘Cause it’s all about approach
And the way you held my hand
And I guess you’ll never know
How hard it was to see
As we trip through this road of life
There’s more than one way to dream
I was sure you were the prettiest
When your make-up was far away
And it had been a while since you showered
And since you shaved your legs
But the things you thought were dirty
I considered pure
And the things I found funny
You just thought were immature
And I don’t believe in Satan
And I don’t believe in hell
And you said, “What about evil?”
I said I call that free will
‘Cause free will’s one of the most beautiful
And one of the scariest things
And you said, “Funny, I was thinking
The same about you and me”
And comparisons to the past
Did more than it seemed
As we trip through this road of life
There’s more than one way to dream
I remember when you slapped me
When I said there never was a myth
And I don’t believe in promises
Marriage doesn’t exist
You said, “You cold heartless bastard”
I said, “Please let me explain”
You said, “John, all your theories and explanations
They just sound the same”
Two people can’t apologize forever
That gets kinda old
It’s hard enough to keep each warm
As the earth got cold
You said, “I’ve taught you what I’ve taught you, John
And I won’t forget what you said
Keep on dancing to the music
‘Cause life is not a cover band”
And we stayed original
Just to keep on the beat
As we trip through this road of life
There’s more than one way to dream
And we left on some Jewish holiday
When our ages were unknown
You said, “The one thing I’ve forgotten, John
Is how to walk away slow
‘Cause this is beautiful in its own way
But things like this can’t last
You know, fate becomes a martyr
In the death of our dramatic past
It’s like we used to lay under Hale-Bopp
And write words that made us cry
Well, now I sing to Cassiopeia
With somebody else on my mind
But I think of that comet
Every now and then,
If the three of us will ever
Dance together again”
And we paint over these walls
That echo what we speak
As we trip through this road of life
There’s more than one way to dream
By the time you finally hear this,
You’ll be a mother and a wife
And by the time I finally play this
I will have started my new life
‘Cause the things we often label
As better left unsaid
Are usually things we end up kicking
Over and over in our heads
I’ve been reading children’s literature
And obscure poetry
And they tell me life is worth living
And death no parentheses
And I reach out in the evening
To find that no one’s there
So I make a vow to wish out loud
And answer one more prayer