DANCING IN STARLIGHT

You tell me your life is alright, even in spite of this place.
But where are the eyes that I once knew? Why don’t they light up your face?

I know you are not one to wander. You care not to circle the earth.
But to judge by your voice and your manners you’ve settled for less than your worth.

And the creek wants to run to the river. As it would were it not for the damn.
And you might be dancing in starlight, far from this cold empty land.

And I’ve not found the answer to all things and I haven’t yet learned how to fly.
Sometimes the sunlight can’t find me, and it’s all I can do just to try.

But I will not be stranded here thinking of everything I should have done
Let no one will build walls around me, I’ll not let anyone block out the sun.

For the creek wants to run to the river. As it would were it not for the damn.
And I will strike out for the starlight, with a smile and a wave of the hand.

The roads and the cities may scare you, with dangers that play with the mind
But a place where your dreams are kept silent is as deadly a place as you’ll find.

So take care that the wind doesn’t fool you into hearing a false melody
And look at your face in the water, and see if you like what you see.

And the creek wants to run to the river. As it would were it not for the damn.
And you might be dancing in starlight, far from this cold empty land.

- James McMurtry

Ya'll know I'm nuts for McMurtry, so to find something unreleased that didn't make the cut to an early album is a real treat for me. I'm guessing it was his first album "Too Long in the Wasteland", but thats just a guess.
 I take the name of this blog from the title cut of that album.
I just have to share. its as good a way to start this year as I can figure.
Thanks to a guy named Matt for loading this to the 'net.