Caught in the vice of heaven and earth

He turned his life into a cell

Imprisoned by the doubts that hound us all

And the desires that we all know so well



His days he lost to promises

His nights he purged of dreams

And he would wake in the hours before sunrise

And dread the coming of the day



Never thought a man could become so desperate

Never thought a life could lose so much hope

To tear at the roots around you

As if in manacles or irons or ropes



They say he told his children that all he taught was lost

And that love and pride and honesty

Were to be gained at too high a cost



It's been thirty summers that I've spent with him

And I expect thirty more to pass

He is blessed by life in so many ways

That I could never turn my back



But I need just one more reminder

Of that man that he used to be

If he would just look deep into my eyes

And say it's in you my love, that I will find the key