As I Live and Breathe

[couchgrouch]

As I Live and BreatheLost a tooth bareknuckle boxingin some warehouse near Biloxifor a lousy hundred dollar takeand I've written songs on napkinswas a drunken trawler captainfor a month on Galveston Bayarm-wrestled a gin-soaked ladyin some roadhouse that was shadyand she took the pink slip to my Fordthen said she was headed my wayparked 'neath some pines off the highwaywhiskey and garters spilling on the floorboardcos life is a song that's best sungwith the four wild winds in your lungsI'm a mortal man and all I amis all I believeas I live and breatheput some card cheat in a comaoutside Phoenix, Arizonaand the judge gave me four in the penbut I only did the whole four'cause I told the parole boardpoker's sacred and I'd do it againsome say there's righteous and sinnerswhen there's just losers and winnersand those who watch but are scared to playI think we'll be judged by heavenfor wasting the breath we're givenworrying about Judgement Daycos life is a song that's best sungwith the four wild winds in your lungsI'm a mortal man and all I amis all I believeas I live and breathewhen I walked out of that prisonfelt like a phoenix had risenfrom dark ashes on the desert floormy life still had lotsa meaningI'd been lifting weights and dreamingof that wildcat driving my old Fordwhen I found her in that roadhouseshe said, "Baby, we can go outbut you gotta get that damn tooth fixed"cos I won when we arm-wrestledbut my poor mouth whistledin backa my Ford when we kissedyeah, life is a song that's best sungwith the four wild winds in your lungsI'm a mortal man and all I amis all I believeas I live and breathe(c)2005 Robert George