A most amazing freak show
Filled with fear and fun
Hurry ! Hurry !
Step this way
or tuck your tail and run
They've been gathered from all corners
by a heart that draws the dregs
Each one is filled with nectar,
if you've a mind to tap their kegs.

An all star cast of castaways
that very few can know for certain
Deemed to be a bunch of "no counts"
by those who don't look past the curtain

There's "David", with his illegal smile
He laughs when things get gory
His scars are maps that mark the miles
and each one holds a story
Never let him get behind you
if you're of the common stack.
But, if you do not make the cut,
he's always got your back.

There's "Pete", who lives in lean-tos
He often comes to break my bread
A moldy hundred dollar Stetson
sitting on a ten cent head
He reminds me of a rabbit
Move too fast and he'll retreat
He adds truth to the saying,
"You are that which you eat"
So timid and so cautious
A gentle wildness 'neath his skin
Yet, he comes, and I feel honored
that he considers me a friend.

There's "Richard Whiskey"
That's what we call him
Most times we just say "Rick"
He shakes like an old jack hammer
and he's almost always sick
We have to keep him full of cheap beer
It's cheaper and rides are quicker
"Richard Whiskey" is just us ribbing
Another way to say "Dick Liquor"
Society says he's useless,
but his house is heaven for music lovers
Albums stacked up to the ceiling
Deep cuts and original covers
Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys
Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Lightning Hopkins, Loving Spoonful
The list goes on and on

There's "Charlie", with his one eye
Not much he has not seen
A screwdriver took the right one
when he was just fifteen
He knows metal and he knows wood
He's building if he's breathing
Third by-pass and he keeps acting
like he aint never leaving
But, people just dont call as much
They fear he cant withstand the strain
They dont know...that's the blow
that gives his heart such pain.

There's "Kevin", with his ear flaps
to protect him from the sun
Hanging down beneath his cap,
makes you wonder, "Where's his gun?"
We sometimes call him "Elmer"
He hasn't got a clue of why
Kevin just keeps dodging sun beams
and looking at the sky.
But, at nightime, he's a treasure
When he's around, the others come
Society has no place for him
It's clear to them that he's too dumb
But, hand the man a mandolin,
a bottle and a bowl...
Celtic ancestors rise again,
to dance within your soul.

I cannot list them, everyone
They all bring joy that knows no end
A most amazing freak show
My carnival of friends
They've been gathered from all corners,
by a heart that draws the dregs
Each one is filled with nectar,
if you've a mind to tap their kegs.

***