THREE MONTHS OFF

THREE MONTHS OFF written April 9, 2016 I took three months off but I didn’t like it Doc gave me a cocktail but he forgot to spike it I ain’t never been on nuthin’ but the road Now it’s, “Take 2 of this, 3 of that, 6 of these and 4 of those. Call me in the morning if you wake up. If you don’t wake up, you needn’t bother. On the bright side you’ll no longer miss your father. It’ll be just you and he, back in Tennessee, Cuppin’ your hands and scoopin’ up a faceful of cold spring water. It’s not so far over yonder.” I never took three months off before I never gave it much thought ‘til I woke up on the floor Staring up at the ceiling, in my chest a funny feeling like thunder They come and brought me around Just to put me back under I took three months off flat on my back They tell me my heart was attacked and I believe it How often the Lord test us. I never knew how precious This life is ‘til I was almost forced to leave it My son. My spitting image. Like an arrow I shot into the future Says, “Pop, hold on if you feel strong. But if you feel tired, you cross over when the mood strikes And the timing suits you.” I took three months off. They were my last. I waited but no profound thought came to pass. I saw my son and daughter, grandkids dancin’ on the water Babies with angels’ wings

I held them in my hands. I was young again. And I felt like a king. *** This song was inspired in part by something Chris Smither said on stage at the 20^th Century Theater in Cincinnati a number of years ago. He was returning to the road after three months off battling a serious illness, the first time in his 50-year career that he had ever taken three months off. There is also much in this song inspired by the last few months of my father’s life, a time during which I visited him in the hospital every day where he and I reconnected, rekindled, and strengthened an already amazing bond that he and I shared throughout every day of my life. With some dark humor sprinkled here and there (subliminal comic relief?), the song is a melancholy affair in spite of the fact that my Dad was always buoyant, positive, uplifting and, more often than not, hilarious. His spirit continues to find its way into my songs and performances, indeed my every waking moment.

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