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Simply Sarah

Posted on by Joe Merkle

She is a dreamer
a sweet unfolding flower
Unassuming, sometimes amusing
What’s the secret to her power over me

She’s just a slight and slender reed
Flowing gracefully in the tall grass
Her long dress billows in the summer breeze
Making her appear as if in flight

She stands on higher ground than I
Gently lifting me to dare
Doing all she can to share
The schemes a dreamer dreams

Simply Sarah, a lover extraordinaire
Simply Sarah, worth more than any billionaire
Has all she needs, wants for nothing
Lives in harmony and peace, she is

Simply Sarah
Simply Sarah
Simply Sarah
Simply Sarah
This song was inspired by a painting by Russian artist Stenka Razin

Melancholy Lady

Posted on by Joe Merkle

This waiting is driving me crazy
The tears I’m tasting are just wasting me away
And though I know it’s in your eyes
I can’t help wondering why

I’m bound to lose, bound to lose with you

You’re a melancholy lady
No use trying to disguise it
I can see it’s in your eyes
It’s in your eyes

And though I know you’re not to blame
And I can’t help feeling it’s a shame
That loving you always costs
A tear or two, a tear or two

And you’re a lady lost
Hiding behind a curtain of your memories
Afraid to pull the string
Afraid to sing, afraid to sing

This waiting is driving me crazy
The tears I’m tasting are just wasting me away
And though I know it’s in your eyes
I can’t help wondering why

I’m bound to lose, bound to lose with you
Because loving you darling
Always costs a tear or two

Written in 1974

You Walked Beside Me

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Every day I take my sorry soul
Filled with silly hope down to the wishing well
Each coin I toss is just a dream of mine
That I’ll hold your hand one more time

All through the years, the ups and downs
You’ve held my hand – you walked beside me
Through all the laughter and the tears
You’ve held my heart – you walked beside me

I look around me now and see this empty place
Oh how I miss, how I miss your face
This place was filled with your smiles and grace
Oh, how I miss, how I miss your face

My steps may falter and my gait my slow
But nothing will deter me from the wishing well
In the hopes that my dreams come true
In my wishes that I’ll once more hold you

The paths we’ve explored were treacherous at times
And through each one, you walked beside me
You gave me the strength to believe in myself
And it was easy because you walked beside me

Just A Boy

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Laying in a meadow painted with heather
Back to the ground
Chewing on a blade of grass
Feeling feckless, fancy-free

Playing games with the clouds
Laughing out loud
For no particular reason
But for the fun of it

Been so many years
I’d forgotten these feelings
Of being just a boy
On a lazy summer’s day

An epiphany of epic proportions
That a lifetime of events
Fades in the grass
With a hardy laugh

Duty

Posted on by Joe Merkle

I have suffered for you
I have sweat for you
I have shed blood for you
I have shed tears for you

As my comrades lay dying for you
My family suffered for you
They have shed tears for you
They live in constant fear and worry

For me, for you
Will you wrap me in a flag and
Call me a hero too when it’s my turn?
Will you praise patriotism at my funeral?

Will you shout this is the cost of freedom?
History assures us killing breeds killing
Hide it behind a mask of morality if you can
War parades only selfish intentions

Miracle To Me

Posted on by Joe Merkle

He’s my angel, a miracle to me
Sees all the possibilities, recognizes no boundaries
And his smile lights up my universe
Brighter than all the stars in the sky

And when he holds your hand
Surrender yourself, he’s in command
And when he holds you in his heart
Heaven is just a breath away

He’s a reflection of all that’s good
Mom’s apple pie, Walt Disney World
And his fantasies are just you and me
We’re along for the ride, can’t you see

And when he holds your hand
Surrender yourself, he’s in command
And when he holds you in his heart
Heaven is just a breath away

This song was inspired and written for my youngest son circa 1990

Sliver Of Blue

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Just when I think there’s no chance at all
Just when I think it’s the final fall
Through the gray and cloudy skies
There comes a sliver of blue, shining through, that’s you

Paths I’ve chosen seem unimportant these days
Struggling through the morass of disappointing ways
That I’ve chosen to travel
Mysteries I’ve forgotten to unravel

Too busy these days to see my soul
Got lost along a lonely road
On the path of a simple fool
When all I want is a sliver of blue

Suffering sorrow makes me ache in my soul
Struggling each day to attain no sure goal
Think it would help if I knew what to do
I just keep hanging on for a sliver of blue

Chances are I will make my last stand
Fight the good fight and play my last hand
But you know I’m sure I will lose
Then all I’ll have left is a sliver of blue

Too busy these days to see my soul
Got lost along a lonely road
On the path of a simple fool
When all I want is a sliver of blue

Just when I think there’s no chance at all
Just when I think it’s the final fall
Through the gray and cloudy skies
There comes a sliver of blue, shining through, that’s you

Poem For Her

Posted on by Joe Merkle

You never cease to weave your webs of wonder
Breaking down my walls with thunder
With your soft and winsome laughter
And your eyes that long for loving

With hands so soft, yet sure and strong
You guide along children of ours
Sharing songs and stories, you’re in your glory
The years, they passed so fast, it’s a crime

To dream a dream, to know it is you
To lose oneself to a woman like you
To grow inside, beside as soul
It’s all one ever needs to know

Becky

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Becky, she’s just a girl I met on the beach
Becky, she reached down to my soul, wouldn’t let go
She said stay here, sit beside me, just be free
Take it easy, make life easy in my arms

She broke me down, emptied me out
To fill me with the things that truly matter
Her kisses were just a promise for the moment
And that was all right by me, each kiss was an eternity

Choices we make, glimpse we forsake in the moments of insanity
Convincing ourselves the paths we choose are dear to lose
Becky, she’s just a girl I meet in my dreams now
Becky, she comes to kiss me in my dreams now

Becky, she’s just a girl I met on the beach
Becky, she reached down to my soul, wouldn’t let go

What If I Knew Tomorrow Was Going To Be The Last Day Of My Life

Posted on by Joe Merkle

What if I knew tomorrow was going to be the last day of my life?
This would be my bucket list.

• Wake up in time to see the sunrise and not complain about getting up so early
• Kiss my wife until my lips hurt and burn into my soul the enchantment of holding her in my arms
• Tell my kids how much I love them (though this will fall short of my feelings) and how proud I am of them
• Smile until my jowls ache
• Listen to every sound surrounding me as if I was a newborn…the birds singing, dogs barking, traffic noise, every spoken word, the whisper “I love you” that shakes my world
• Crank up the stereo and play air guitar one last time to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven
• Savor every single tasty sensation. Revel in the bite of a crispy, cold apple, the pure refreshment of a sip of water, the astonishing delights my wife concocts
• Wallow in the aromas I’ve always taken for granted. The fragrance of my wife, a freshly cut orange, peanut butter, the flowers blooming in our yard, chili cooking on the stove
• Smile until my eyes hurt
• Make music with my eyes closed and heart wide open. Let my fingers dance one last time to an unseen inspiration
• Really see for the first time in my life the amazing visual displays that have surrounded me but I was too blind to see. The pure love in my wife’s eyes when she looks at me. The genuine, heartfelt smiles of my friends and family. Myself, when I look into my children’s eyes. Every stunning color of the hummingbirds at our feeder. The setting sun casting its crimson shadow, tinting the clouds a stunning magenta. The stars hanging in the sky just for my entertainment
• Laugh out loud
• Play with my dog and delight in the simple joy I can grant him with a few minutes of my time
• Dance with my wife in my arms
• Rejoice in every little ache and pain…and laugh them off
• Fall asleep with the love of my life lying next to me and exult in overwhelming gratitude for how blessed I have been.
• Wake up in the morning and do it all over again

So I bet you’re thinking the moral of this story is to live every day like it was your last. Well, that is a good one but the epiphany I have come to realize is to live every moment like was your last. There are no takebacks of past mistakes or promises of a brighter future, but what I can control is what each moment holds. Live long and prosper my friend.