The Lesson (Ode to J. M. Burke)
browsing through these pages I haven’t read in a while,
gazing at these pictures and most of them bring me a smile,
my own son was younger then and hooked up with a real good friend
we may as well have adopted him, what a long road the lesson has been

and I told those boys everything they’d listen to,
tried to show them every good thing that I ever knew,
I’m reading this book having a good long look at a lesson that just doesn’t end,
and I might have learned just a thing or two from them

there’s a chapter on dreaming the big dreams and sticking it out,
and in there somewhere is a section covering trouble and doubt,
chapter on losing a love to a friend and problems with seeing it through,
somewhere the ink runs with teardrops and there’s a wedge between these two

and I told them a boy’s got to do what he’s got to do,
I always knew that the boys would somehow make it through,
I’m reading this book having a good long look at a lesson that just doesn’t end,
and I might have learned just a thing or two from them

so the story comes to this chapter and everyone’s better than fine,
as good as this book might have written itself up to this very line,
no sugar coated happy ending that’s not what the story’s about,
living the lesson in travel, in churches or bars they keep writing it out

and I told those boys of honor and to have respect,
and I told them that their dreams were nothing to neglect,
I’m reading this book having a good long look at a lesson that just doesn’t end,
and I might have learned just a thing or two from them

©2012 brent david fraser, stratherrick publishers (ASCAP), all rights reserved