Echoes on the Final Track

Lyrics

(Intro) Let me tell you a story from so long ago, It started on Park Street, where the memories flow. It was me and my brother, we came from the East, Took the Trailways bus; it was tough, at the least. To San Francisco, the Golden Gate wide, My mother brought three kids, with no place to hide. An orange bridge? Yeah, I was a little disappointed, But the city had dreams that we surely anointed. (Chorus) Oh, those were the days full of lessons and pain, From the joyous moments to the pouring rain. We fell for honey buns, learned the hard way, But through every shadow, we found our own way. (Verse: The Shift) Then we met the Huffs, our very first friends, Back in those days, where the story bends. Lynn Lynn spelled it out—R-U-N, I ran like hell just to have some fun. A year later we moved down to the South, Discrimination biting, black and white in our mouths. So much to learn and places to see, But something inside feeling broken in me. (Act I & II: The Foundation and the Fall) Dear Damien, I ain't talked to you since you were three or four, Playing with Star Wars blankets, throwing matches on the floor. You asked your Dad, "Are you gonna beat me?" He said, "Only if you're wrong," So you swore you'd be perfect, swore you'd never step out of song. But then came the darkness, the paddle swinging at your face, Holding Webster dictionaries in a cruel, Southern place. I’m sorry for what Robbie did, in the shadows of the night, None of that was your fault, Damien. You were brave to fight. Then they sent you to St. Vincent’s, sixty boys inside a cage, And Bill Wagner broke a piece of you that turned the boy into a stage. (Chorus) The Actor on the Stage—up, down, sideways through the fire, Surviving every second, preaching to a broken choir. You put the mask on for the world, taking care of everyone else, But who takes care of the caretaker when he's going through hell? If you want to save the family, if you want to heal the past, Take care of yourself first, or the legacy won't last.   (Act III: The Breaking Point) Dear alcohol and drugs, I’m writing you to say goodbye, You met me at fifteen, taught me how to live a lie. You drowned out all my mental health with your toxic, static noise, You got in the way of Alexandra, the mother of my boys. And then there is the ghost of Dee, standing at a funeral that never came to pass, "He couldn't beat the demons, and now we just miss him," looking through the glass. But you woke up at Bayside Marin. You chose to keep your life.   (Act IV: Reborn) Two years ago on Thanksgiving, the actor finally broke, "I can't do this anymore," were the truest words you spoke. Now let's talk about Alexandra, the anchor in the storm, She saw the man you could be, she kept the vision warm. This is the year you're reborn, the year you learn to live, Experiencing your eight kids, learning how to give. Success isn't a straight line, it's the courage to pivot the wheel, To drop the heavy armor and finally learn to feel.   (Outro: The Second Half) So happy 51st birthday to the man who made it through, The second half of the book belongs entirely to you. No more surviving, it’s time to start the living, No more running, it’s time for the forgiving. I love you, Damien. I always did. I always will. Take care of yourself first—keep that shit moving.