I've Got To Go Back

I've got to get back to the tall timber soon,​

Back where the big firs saw at the sky.​

Back where I rise to the cries of a loon,​

Back where the osprey and eagles still fly.​

The city and its woes scare me to death,​

The squalor and stench burns in my eyes.​

My heart is pounding I can't catch my breath,​

To tell you the truth, I'm sick of the lies.​

​

The bells and whistles, the honking of horns,​

The screech of tires the curse and the yell.​

I need to wake up to clear, quiet morns,​

To be stuck in this city's like living in hell.​

I'm gagging on a swill, mistaken for air,​

And I can't trust a soul that I see.​

I'd just as soon lie in a rattlesnake's lair,​

I can't stay in the city, I need to be free

I need to have my campfire at night,​

I've got to be able to count my stars.​

I'm blinded by the glare of the city's light,​

I'm froze like a deer in eyes of their cars.​

I've got to get back amid valley and peak,​

I need a good lashing from the wind and rain.​

I crave the culture of a babbling creek,​

I've got to get back to my mountains again.​

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I've not seen a smile since I looked in the mirror,​

Their taut furrowed gaunt faces tell of their fears.​

They scurry like mice, amid the din and the furor,​

And they've all got cell phones stuck in their ears.​

I gave it my best,​

I failed your test,​

Now, I need some rest,​

I need a good lashing from the wind and rain,​

I've got to get back to my mountains again.

-- Michael Barker

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