Header image: You Were On My Mind, by Thomas Lerooy (2014)
“First the man takes the drink,
then the drink takes the man.”
Bread at the hardware store
Looking back it’s a little bit clearer
His folks never had it to give
So he grew up without,
~ Feelin real small within
And learned best he could how to live
He got married and started a family
And made a best friend outta booze
So we grew up without,
~ Feelin real small within
The next generation to lose
Growing up I just kept on hoping
Just once he’d show love and some pride
In who I’d become,
~ And might yet become
But he just didn’t have it inside
So I learned to stop hoping for breakthrough.
After being so cut to the core
After me reaching out,
~ And him freaking out
He’d just up and walk out the door
Now I just show him compassion
And try not to judge anymore,
Cos we grew up without,
~ Feelin real scared within
So it’s time to stop keepin the score
Looking back it’s a little bit clearer
His folks never had it to give
So he grew up without,
Feelin real small within
And learned best he could how to live
Been walkin the steps for a while now
Walked a mile in the shoes that he wore
So now I know well that,
~ There’s no point in lookin
For bread in the hardware store.
– By Kieran Forde, Jan 2024.
[I imagine this being sung slow, with a country twang, sort of like Tim McGraw’s Humble and Kind, especially that last verse]
Image: You Were On My Mind, 2014, by Thomas Lerooy
More here: https://twistedsifter.com/2021/01/you-were-on-my-mind-sculpture-by-thomas-lerooy/
“First the man takes the drink, then the drink takes the man.” – Irish proverb (apparently)
“First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” – A variation on the above, usually attributed to F. Scott Fitzgeralt
Archive: https://archive.is/8ZSM8