Sleep in a Lullaby

who is the man in the mirror
staring back at me
hair the color of ashes
eyes that can barely see
who is the driver
who is the machine
the days of spring are coming
but they're not the days i've seen

i'm hoping to get to the forest
and find a place to sit
the wind is biting winter
and i will take the hit
the doctor took my number
and pointed to the sky
everyone lives for awhile
then everybody dies

who is the man in the article
who is the stranger in the street
who is the piper at the gates of dawn
and who is keeping the beat
where is the memory of a golden sun
where is the mother of god
i could use a little lullaby
where is the mother of god
sleep, little darling and dream your dreams
sleep in a lullaby
sleep in the arms of the mother of god
sleep in a lullaby

he worked that day for a friend of his
getting the lift to run
gears and oil and a bolt of rust
must've weighted fifty tons
by night he said goodbye to the men
and drove by the whiskey train
but he just kept on going
alone in the Oregon rain
the cold is a fierce competitor
the grave is a fait accompli
he drove to the forest in the dead of night
and said goodbye among the trees
he said goodbye among the trees

who is the man in the article
who is the stranger in the street
who is the piper at the gates of dawn
and who is keeping the beat
where is the memory of a golden sun
where is the mother of god
i could use a little lullaby
where is the mother of god
sleep, little darling and dream your dreams
sleep in a lullaby
sleep in the arms of the mother of god
sleep in a lullaby

(repeat opening stanzas)

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This song is dedicated to a man I do not know, but upon reading an article about him in the OregonianI wrote these lyrics.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn refers to a passage from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, a phrase in turn used by Pink Floyd as the title of their debut album. If there is a sense of caring love in the universe in terms of protecting a lost child it is this chapter that brings it to life.

**

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