I’ve lived the life of trust between people in the woods
Coyotes, guns and snakes, and rusty Chevy hoods
The darkness pierced at night by a brush pile burn
Homemade wine in hand, laughing ’til the sun’s return
With blood-shot eyes we’d rise to face another day
Just thankful for the work, despite the meager pay
Rich in time and space, we’re the real billionaires
What happens on the coasts? No one really cares
You don’t need to tell us how to live our lives
While crafting bills for cash…and cheating on your wives
Our stubborn self-reliance got us to today
We choose to live this life. It’s in our DNA.
So go away…
I love this life because the people are so true
Ready to defend any threat to their solitude
Imagine my surprise when deception came along
With tiny hands, thin-skin, and a tie that’s way too long
He spoke with fire and fear saying “You’re the forgotten ones!”
And those I love and trust soaked it up like a thirsty sponge
With their own words, he learned to reel them in with bait
And 2-years-in my friends are echoing his hate
What they don’t see is he is playing them for a fool
While they feel heard for once, he’s shattering their rule
…that they don’t need some tyrant governing their lives
Stoking fear for votes – while cheating on his wives
No.
Whatever happened to that self-reliant song?
Did it get swallowed by some need to just belong?
I don’t recognize that anger in your eyes
When others stand to speak and choose to criticize
Once upon a time, we sat around a fire
Thankful for a life that most will not acquire
“Don’t tell us what to think, just leave us the hell alone!”
But now we’re here, it’s clear – you’ve taken a different tone
Please don’t forget that self-reliance is your truth
It clings to you like glue and it’s been there since your youth
By accepting one who leads with words as sharp as knives
You become exactly who you’ve hated all your lives.
