There Once Was a Man

There once was a man.. Who lived a bad life He tried to be godly And ended in strife. For it wasn't his actions that made it so wrong But that he knew deep down, he knew all along. He prayed for direction He prayed for new hope But his soul was too damaged And he took too much dope. The people he trusted Promised all would be well, If he kept humble means To steer clear of hell. He never overtly Did anything mean, He sinned and then promised To keep his soul clean. He married a girl After the first one had failed. And promised his God, That ship has sailed. But God in His wisdom Thought the lesson was right, So He kept him in darkness Away from His light. He followed his passions His follies weren't pure, He asked his known God If he had been cured. But he read the whole Bible And asked for a sign, And found that his reason Was muddled in wine. For what no one told him, And this was the key, Is that no one was working As hard as was he. The people around him Hadn't a clue, That we're here to be kind We're here to be true. So women and men And paupers and kings All plotted tricks And selfishness things. Love was a thought For poets and priests And not for the common man Sweating the sheets. He would not see As long as he breathed That suicide came From his heart on his sleeve. Refusing to lose He crafted his time That would point him to heaven Or just put him in line But God was quite clear, From the time of the Christ That there was but one savior, That paid that one price. So years ran behind him Sin covered with soot From the top of his head To the pad of of his foot. Never quite learning that God had his back He lived a sad life Of wanting and lack. This story rings true Over all the miles Decades of hurt For the want of a smile.