You Only Live Once (Do What You Mean)

You Only Live Once (Do What You Mean) By Jesse Scobie

Verse
Emaj Amaj
I saw an old man in the local dive bar, drinking away his deep pain
F#min Dmaj Emaj
Sometime later, he was in the parking lot, trying to escape the rain
Emaj Amaj
I saw a young widow, in the corner, drinking bourbon, smoking sorrow
F#min Dmaj Emaj
She lost her husband in the Iraq war, her dreams are dead for tomorrow

Chorus
Dmaj
It’s times like these that we think of everything we’ve done
How fragile and sacred our lives, and loved ones are
Remember when the fabric tears apart at the seem
You only live once, do what you mean

Verse II
I’ve known guitarists, piano players and songwriters in my life
Getting by in the capital city, or in Manhattan with a knife
Sang with your heart, wrote with your hand, what was on your mind
Working dead-end jobs, hustling corners, and living on the line

Chorus
Some people say you only know what you had when it’s gone
I know what I had to give and get, with the words in my song
Although we’ve lived in troubled times, I’m always on the same team
You only live once, do what you mean

Bridge:
Fathers and Mothers try to teach their children well
But it only goes so far, when you’re living in a hell
The preacher speaks wisdom, while politicians screams
You can find morals in the water, long as it’s clean

Verse III
Like Jesus, I am walking through this world of dark alone
Trying to live and forgive those who throw the stones
I don’t think I’ll make it far past the earth and sky
But I’ve done what I can to help the poor and sick survive



Final Chorus
Happiness doesn’t come in a bottle you can buy
It’s not gained through wars, legal fees or marketing your side
It’s about a foundation of truth and not fearing to be seen
You only live once, do what you mean
You can’t live your life like some forgotten dream,
You only live once, do what you mean!

Something Simple, Something Plain

Something Simple, Something Plain By Jesse Scobie

A maj
I bit the apple and drank the koolaid,
Bmin C#min
I slipped on the shoes, put on the shades
F# min Dmaj
Ashamed of the past, my drunk escapades
Amaj Bmin
I need a new fix, with nothing to gain
F#min Bmin Dmaj
Something to cross the finish line in,
Emaj Amaj
Something simple, something plain

The robins were singing on the old dead tree
Where I left your heart, and you said to me
“How can you separate love from the seed?”
I laugh, and smiled at her false frame
I leave the artificial light behind,
For something simple, something plain

The road signs read “whiskey and smoke”
I lost my will in town, to hear the folks
My job is my songs, my career is my jokes
My friends and lovers wash down the drain
I trade in my rhinestone suit
For something simple, something plain

Bridge:
As I wait for the refrain, and lose the cloak of shame
She wasn’t waiting for a hero to remain
The path to freedom’s clear, but you won’t find it here
When everything you fought for, has disappeared

Amaj
I fell for the wrong spell, but it’s just as well
Bmin C#min
Stood for something strong, but then I fell
F#min Dmaj
Now I’m the one left to ring the bells
Amaj
Hands are shaking as I leave on the last train
Stations full of ghosts bleed into
Something simple, something…
Beautiful faces that I drew
Something simple, something…
The only friend I ever knew,
Is something, something plain