Nightmares & Whiskey
In a room stark & white
A nightmare he will ride tonight
Twisted sheets in a rider's grip
as he settles in for that fateful trip
silently he screams & shouts
This time there'll be no turn out
The final clash of beast & man
In the mind's arena plays out again
Once was a time he was among the best
Until that Brahma stepped on his chest
Now he's locked in a ride he can't quit
as his wife & his family at his bedside sit
How he longs to be up & out of this bed
Away from the demons in his head
But you can't drown a nightmare in morphine
And every night he rigs up again
In a room stark & white
She'll replay the ride tonight
"Just one more ride & I'm done
I've got to help raise our son"
He'd said as he climbed in the chute
and straddled that Brahma brute
With a nod & a prayer, he marked out
His last would be his best, no doubt
Then, with a sudden twist & a flash of horn
The cowboy from his seat was torn
She watched him fall & struggle to rise
Numb to the crowd's horrified cries
Now she sits here each night without rest
Cradling their baby boy close to her chest
How she longs to have him hold her near
Later, she reaches for the bottle to chase the fear
But you can't drown a nightmare in whiskey
And every night she rigs up again
Under the arena's bright lights
He'll dance with a nightmare tonight
Wearing a greasepaint smile to hide the pain
He plays out that fateful ride again
One step out of rhythm & rhyme
He'd lost the race against Brahma & time
Word's haunt him still of a Cowboy's last request
After that Brahma had stomped on his chest "Tell Katie I love her & I'm sorry for this"
"If I'd listened to her, I'd not be in this mess"
"You & the boys take care of her & my son"
"I hear the chopper landing, guess this ride is done"
How he wishes he could run that race once more
The memory pushes him hard, it won't be ignored
But you can't mask a nightmare with greasepaint
And every night he rigs up again
A wild Bullrider, loved one or clown
no matter the poison the memory won't drown
Nightmares, whiskey, greasepaint or morphine
Can't kill the demons that ride through your dreams
Copyright © Catherine Devine | Year Posted 2005
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