Ain’t Life Grand?

by Carl Clay Caulkins

Papa lies under the willow
    and Mama lies over the sea
My jack knife lies under my pillow
    keeping me company

Easy questions, they throw me
    and hard ones come as a surprise
Friends aren’t sure that they know me
    they show me with their eyes

         The worst of the winter
            has come and gone
         And now it seems
            like the ghost of a dream
     A dream I will never understand
            Here comes the dawn
               I was wonderin’
               where she’d gone
            These tin coffee cups
               sure do warm up
                  your hand
               Ain’t life grand?

My feet beat a path to your doorway
    my heart’s worn a hole in my sleeve
It’s oh so difficult to stay here
    and it’s impossible to leave

Maybe it’s hunger that brings me back
    maybe I’m flirting with doom
Or maybe it’s just a voice I trust
    that whispers to me
    when I’m in this room

         The worst of the winter
            has come and gone
         And now it seems
            like the ghost of a dream
     A dream I will never understand
            Here comes the dawn
               I was wonderin’
              where she’d gone
            These tin coffee cups
               sure do warm up
                  your hand
               Ain’t life grand