Ries Brothers My Friends
I wipe the tear drop from my eye
As I step under the January sky
It's midnight and I'm all alone again
Think I'll take a walk to find my friends
Tommy's in the basement and he looks upset
Working on a novel but he's not done yet
Jimmy is a singer in a local bar
But everyone says he won't get too far
Johnny is a teacher he's been working all day
He wants to give up but he's got bills to pay
Says I only teach what I'm told to teach
So the kids they only learn what they're told to learn
Aint that a shame
We met in school when things were fun
Baseball diamonds, days under the sun
Thought we'd all go down in history
But life you know it showed no sympathy
Tommy's in the basement and he looks upset
Working on a novel but he's not done yet
Jimmy is a singer in a local bar
But everyone says he won't get too far
Johnny is a teacher he's been working all day
He wants to give up but he's got bills to pay
Says I only teach what I'm told to teach
So the kids they only learn what they're told to learn
Something had to change
a new story turn the page
Life it played its game
On all of us
Tommy got a letter from his publisher
Looking in the mirror sees a real author
Jimmy put the bottle down and found his way
There's a line out to the street for his show today
But Johnny didn't make it out the other side
He left it in a note thanking us for the ride
We never saw it coming but we should have known
Now he'll never see his kids when they are fully grown
So pay attention to the ones you really love
Make sure you are there when everything gets tough
Cause Johnny is you and Johnny is me
Be there for each other unequivocally
