O My Soul...
where have you gone,
o my soul...
where have you gone?
are you lost in the tears
of a thousand faces
blackened by hunger?
in the cries of the dying?
of the homeless?
in the defiant feet
of those standing in line?
the unemployment line?
the soup line?
the line just outside
the prison walls?
in the lover left desperate,
who takes his own life?
in the students beaten,
who stood up for freedom?
in the young man hated,
for the color of his skin?
in the young woman sold
on the lonesome street corner?
in the windowless offices
where lives and deaths are decided?
in the hole behind the gun,
eyes hard as steel?
in the bare apartment,
where the children are cold and hungry?
on the corner, 'neath the bridge,
in the back of the car?
where have you gone,
o my soul...
where have you gone?
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Layin It On The Line
You see it every day in every way
We all hear the same routines
They all say that its okay
Just let us take care of everything
So we lay it on the line
Layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, were livin on the front line
I can see it in the faces
We got trouble in the streets tonight
And power keeps us in our places
And it doesnt matter if youre left or right
You lay it on the line
Layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Just layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line, (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Take it to the wilderness
Into the jungle sun
Lookin for the voice of reason
Inside this babylon
Got u.s. boys on foreign soil
Spillin their blood to keep the peace
Cities will vanish in turmoil
While the sheiks lay sleepin on the beach
We lay it on the line
Layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
song performed by by Jefferson Starship
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Layin It On The Line
You see it every day in every way
We all hear the same routines
They all say that its okay
Just let us take care of everything
So we lay it on the line
Chorus:
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, were livin on the front line
I can see it in the faces
We got trouble in the streets tonight
And power keeps us in our places
And it doesnt matter if youre left or right
You lay it on the line
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Just layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Take it to the wilderness
Into the jungle sun
Lookin for the voice of reason
Inside this babylon
(guitar solo)
Got u.s. boys on foreign soil
Spillin their blood to keep the peace
Cities will vanish in turmoil
While the sheiks lay sleepin on the beach
We lay it on the line
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
song performed by by Starship
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Dont Even Know Their Names!
his spirit left his body,
and walked through the hells.
a firm voice spoke:
'keep your eyes open,
look, and see! '
he saw dark skinned children,
their bodies frail and thin,
their features carved with hunger.
he saw women and children,
running from the bombs,
young men gunned down,
in the streets.
he saw the homeless family,
sleeping in a beaten old car,
hoping no one would come
to make them move.
he saw the young addict shaking,
the young woman helpless,
her baby crying in the bare apartment.
he saw the young man sent to prison,
trying to hide his fear,
a fear so strong they
could smell it on him!
he saw the woman who'd been beaten,
the man jobless and angry.
he saw millions of Native Americans,
slaughtered, and left for the crows.
he saw the old couple hungry,
in their apartment with no lights,
and no heat in the dead of winter...
'i cant take it any more,
what has this got to do with me?
i dont even know their names! '
'their names are anybody, and everybody...
they are why you must return.
they are your children, your
brothers and sisters, your father
and your mother...
they are your responsibility!
you must return to finish the work! '
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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All The Same!
i am the illegal immigrant,
picking your fruit.
while my children are hungry,
and my wife scrubs your floors.
the young black man in your prison,
the anger of the poor.
i am the books,
you forbid us to read.
i am the Vietnamese family,
whose children speak english.
the young Sioux poet,
whose words sound like tears.
i am the white man's reservation,
and the white man's god....
the sound of the gas pump,
the feet of soldiers marching to death.
i am the grandson of the miner,
who never came out.
the body of the union organizer,
buried beneath rubble.
i am the picket line,
the cold floor of the cell.
i am the old woman who died,
alone in her nursing home bed.
the sound of the church bells,
on midnight's empty streets.
i am the needle and the crack pipe,
the sound of the window breaking.
i am the whistle of the train,
so near and so far.
i am the child adopted,
by two women in love.
i am the mission, the soup line,
and the shelter....
the body in the alley,
and no one cares.
i am the song of America,
i am the wind of freedom.
i am the torch of justice,
the bridge that has no name.
i am the god of many colors,
and all the same!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Loves On The Line
Tell me baby
Have we lost everything that we had before
What do you do in the day
When I walk out the door
I can see you made up your mind
And I know our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
With each passing day
I gotta watch more and more what I say to you
I can feel your eyes looking through me
As I sit at the table at dinnertime
I can feel our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
I watch our kids
Growin up, going to school
Is there anything else for us now
Are we both just fools
Wasting our precious time
At night we lay in bed
But its like youre not even there
Theres something real bad
Going wrong somewhere
Last night I heard you cry
And I know our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line
song performed by by Bruce Springsteen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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These Are (My Children)
standing in line at the mission,
they're ladeling bowls of steaming soup.
the winter wind whips down
between the buildings like a knife...
pulling tattered coats tight hunching.
and i can hear Shantideva whisper,
his hand on the ladel...
his body the meat of the soup,
his blood the broth...
'these are my children! '....
they walk in long staggered lines,
refugees from the bombing...
hungry scared children clinging,
afarid to lose sight of...
what's left of their families.
nothing behind, and nowhere to go,
not on any side...
and i can hear Jesus whisper,
His life the torch that lights the way,
His body the shelter against the night,
His blood the water, His hands stir the rice...
'these are My children! '....
the addict shivers, strung out and desperate...
the homeless family huddles in the car.
the young prisoner sleepless with the fear,
the old man going hungry feeds his bedridden wife...
the jobless young father begs to pick up trash...
and i know beyond all doubt,
my body, my soul, my spirit...
the wind that hears their cry.
'for these are my children! '...
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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No Difference
i stared out the window
at the bare frozen limbs
of my favorite old tree...
i closed my eyes...
saw leaves bud forth
and turn green...
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i stared at the young girl
reading at a corner table
i closed my eyes...
and saw an old grandmother
washing dishes with her grandbabies
playing in the floor at her feet...
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i saw the young man
carrying his son on his shoulders
i closed my eyes...
and saw an old man standing
by his son's casket
draped by a flag...
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i saw an old man
standing on the corner begging
i closed my eyes...
i saw a young boy
playing ball in the street
laughing and dodging cars
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i saw a crack head shivering
by an electric heater in a bare apartment
i closed my eyes...
and saw a young a/g student
helping some kid with his math
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i saw a desperate girl
walking the streets
looking for a john
i closed my eyes...
and saw a young girl's room
stuffed animals on the bed
pictures of her and her daddy on the wall
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i saw a young man
wild-eyed with fear
in a prison cell
i closed my eyes...
i saw a young boy gone hunting
with his grandpa on thanksgiving morn
with his dog by his side
i opened my eyes...
knowing there was no difference.
i pulled back the veil of time...
knowing, there is no difference!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Oh, Brother
Im not much for making little wishes
But Id like a little wish to come true for you
Im not talking about loaves and fishes
But I wish that there was something I could do for you
Heres a little bit of cheap advice
To be taken in an hour of need
Dont assume that the life you left
Is the life you have to lead
(chorus)
When you come home what you gonna do
Oh brother, oh brother
Dont you try to deny
What you know to be true
The same mess of misery that you done been through
Standing in line
And its waiting for you
One kiss leads to another
Brother when you come back home
Id like to know whos knocking on door
Id like to know what they come here for
Youd like to say no
But the words wont come
Come in and sit down, seem to roll off your tongue
You forget to remember, to never die young
One kiss leads to another
Brother when you come back home
Standing in line, all of your friends
Standing in line, party never ends
Standing in line, the river flows, the river bends
Standing in line, all of your friends
- chorus -
And that moon will be
Shining in the trees
All night long
Something bound to happen for sure
Soon youll be
Stopping by talking to a friend again
Swear you aint never tasted nothing so pure
- chorus -
When you come home, your friends are dropping by
When you come home, the moon is gonna shine
When you come home, I tell you no lie
When you come home, theyre gonna offer you a line
Standing in line, all of your friends
Standing in line, party never ends now
Standing in line, the river flows, the river bends
Standing in line, all your so called friends
Standing in line, when you come home
Standing in line, oh brother, oh brother now
Standing in line, when you come home
Standing in line, what youre gonna do now
Standing in line...
song performed by by James Taylor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Front Line
I am a veteran of the war
I up and joined the army back in 1964
At sixteen I just had to be a man at any cost
I volunteered for Vietnam where I got my leg shot off
I recall a quote from a movie that said "who's more a man
Than a man with a reason that's worth dyin' for"
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
They gave me a uniform and a tiny salty pill
To stop the big urge I might have for the wrong kind of thrill
They put a gun in my hand and said, "shoot until he's dead"
But it's hard to kill when 'please your friend' echoes through your head
Brought up in church taught no man should take another's life
But then put in a jungle where life has no price
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
Back in the world the paper reads today
Another war is in the brewing
But what about the lives of yesterday
And the many happy families that have been ruined
My niece is a hooker and my nephew's a junkie too
But they say I have no right to tell them how they should do
They laugh and say "quit bragging" 'bout the war you should never have been in
But my mind is so brain-washed I'd prob'bly go back and do it again
I walk the neighborhood parading my purple heart
With a fear of agent orange that no one will stop
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
They had me standing on the front line
But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin' ahead
[Repeat 2 times...fade out]
song performed by by Stevie Wonder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I'm no longer blind (Quatern poetry)
(A Quatern is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It is
similar to the Kyrielle and the Retourne. It has a refrain that is in a
different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second
line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fouth line of stanza four.
A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow
a set rhyme scheme. line 1 line 2 line 3 line 4 line 5 line 6 (line 1) line 7
line 8 line 9 line 10 line 11 (line 1) line 12 line 13 line 14 line 15 line 16
(line 1)
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me,
You're always near my painful soul,
You are my focus and my goal,
In the falling rain I'm your tree.
Help me for I am a sinner.
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me.
'Cause I'm Your humble devotee,
Asking Christ to come for dinner.
Guard Thou with light this pain of mine.
I'm no longer blind I can see.
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me.
Your words through me will always shine.
Save me by Your grace, set me free.
Keep my way, truth and life in Christ.
And so I'll know that Thou exist.
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me.
poem by Marieta Maglas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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One Step Over The Line (feat. Roseanne Cash And John Hiatt)
When I look into your eyes
See the world cut down to size
Baby don't apologize
Takin' me one step over the line
When I touch your secret skin
Babe I know it ain't no sin
I feel you startin' to give in
Now let's go one step over the line
I know it's just your daddy's car
Your daddy never went this far
Baby we know who we are
Let's go one step over the line
I can be your drivin' wheel
We could make those tires squeal
Ooo I like the way it feels
Takin' it one step over the line
One step forward and two steps back
It's for the first time baby
I'm talkin' cake walkin' into the black
A crossin' red line and I don't mean maybe
I hear they buried lover's lane
In a sea of tears and blame
It's you and me go up in flames
Baby, one step over the line
They're drawin' boxes on the ground
Just to make us look on down
All we gotta do is look around
And take it one step over the line
A one step over the line
Come on baby, one step over the line
song performed by by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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One Step Over The Line
When I look into your eyes I see the world cut down to size
Baby don't apologize for taking me one step over the line
When I touch your sacred skin Babe I know it ain't no sin
I feel you starting to give in. Now let's go one step over the line
I know it's just your daddy's car Your daddy never went this far
Baby we know who we are
Let's go one step over the live
I could feel your driving wheels
We could make those tires squeal
Oo I like the way it feels Taking it one step over the line
Bridge
One step forward and two steps back Is for the birds
I'm talking cake walking into the black
I've crossed the little line and I don't mean maybe
I hear they've buried lover's lane In a sea of tears and pain
Let's you and me go up in flames
Baby one step over the line
They're drawing boxes on the ground (on the ground)
Just to make us lookin down (Don't look down)
All we got to do is look around (Look around)
And take it one step over
One step over the line
One step over the line
song performed by by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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End Of The Line
(graham russell)
This will take some understanding
I believe someone is sending love to us and everyone
Who cares to take a gamble sometimes
Think of me Ive given all I can
Stretched an arm and open hand to you
So never say no
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
You I need, always needed, dont turn back for any reason
First we talk and then we fall headfirst into each others thinking
Please be where Ill always see you, life is short
The twinkle of an eye is all we have until we say
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Take me away, take me away
Take me away
Do you dream fantasy and believe what you see is weird
I need a remedy or a book to get off this fear
All I wanted to know is how do I get the truth from here.
We play so small a part
But we started from somewhere
All the friends that I can think of
Know whats going to happen to them
If they dont think on today and plan ahead for their tomorrow
Here we are just lucky children breaking out of the shell
Ill take your hand today and love you till we reach
The end of the line
Reach the end of the line
Reach the end of the line
Reach the end of the line
Take me away
Take me away
Take me away
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
song performed by by Air Supply
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Got A Line On You
Yeah.
Oh yeah, come on.
Now, let me take you babe, down to the river bed
Well, I got to tell you something
That'll go right through your head
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
[I got a line on you babe]
Come on.
Now, put your arms around me, every little bit of your love
Oh, you know what to do, I'll make love to you
You got the right stuff, and I do too
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah!
Got my eye on you babe, on your velvet skin
I wanna put my hands were they've never been
Get real hot in the midnight steam
Soaking in the rain of my favorite dream
Your lips are red, the moon is blue
I only ask you once what you want to do
Gonna touch you babe 'til the night is through
Look out honey, got a line on you
Oh yeah.
Oh, now the winter's almost over,
The summer she's coming on strong.
Oh I could love you, love you, love you, love you all year long
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
[I got a line on you babe]
Ah yeah!
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
I got a line on you
I got a line on you babe.
song performed by by Alice Cooper
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Line Is Fine
Look at me I'm so disgusting
I will never find another
Quite like you
You make me blue
With the things you do
Look at you you're so familiar
We could be so cool together
All the time
Could all be fine
We're on the line
The line is fine
Open up mah window
The line is fine
Standing on the ledge
Well I don't look down
Looking at the people
Well they all look fine
It's not just life or death
Yesterday we talked together
But tonight it's just the weather
Chillin' me
What's the point in silly talking
We could get there quicker walking
Down the line
could all be fine
But we're on the line
The line is fine
But staring at the faces
Standing in a row
Think of all the places
That they have yet to go
They don't know
song performed by by Travis from Good Feeling
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Martyrs!
martyrs...
silently trudging head down
to the promised land.
familiar?
a neighbor, a forgotten uncle,
the stranger you saw on the corner;
the faces...
bombing victims in the Middle East,
hungry children on foreign soils,
the kid picked up for looking suspicious.
the bullied kid that hung himself,
the family living in the backseat
of a car in Florida.
the tired eyed man standing
in the unemployment line.
the protesters, and the cops
with pepper spray and clubs...
the face of the young boy taken
from his drug addict parents...
bodies and faces,
souls wrapped in dirty flesh.
silently trudging,
martyrs!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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One Hundred Lit Candles
sitting alone in an empty room,
surrounded by one hundred lit candles...
slowly, one by one,
naming them,
blowing them out!
hunger, apathy, pride,
poverty, prejudice,
sorrow, despair, greed...
self image, self fullfilment,
ownership, anger, judgement,
righteous indignation...
the stranger on the street corner,
the soldiers standing across the line.
the protestors carrying signs,
the pale faces behind
the covered window...
the preacher and the addict,
the whore, and the convict.
the young unwed mother,
the child crying in the night.
the young gay boy who hung himself,
those who stood and jeered...
the out of work factory worker,
face down in a corner bar.
my neighbor, my enemy, my brother,
and the ghosts that haunt my night.
empty graves and unmarked stones...
and more...
blowing them out!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Poets
an old woman poet,
stood behind the table,
doling out plate after plate,
to the line of faces...
taking the time...
to ask each their name.
a young student poet,
jerked from the picket line,
beaten, and arrested...
now sits in jail.
the young man poet,
just home after a 12 hour shift,
went next door and mowed
his elderly neighbor's grass.
a young girl poet,
took in the stray cat,
fed it, and held it...
and rocked it to sleep.
the poor poet,
makes a pallot on the floor
of his empty room,
for the homeless to sleep on.
the old man poet,
goes to work again,
minimum wage with a smile,
to feed his sick wife...
the common poet,
build houses, works on machines,
tills gardens, works on cars...
treats everyone the same...
and no one knows his name!
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Im In Line
(d. peterson/v. peterson/s. hoffs)
Debbi
I dont want to wait in line for you
Darling, youll know thats what Ill do
The girls are pretty
The girls are many
Ah, but your heart is empty
No ones filling up for you
Im in line for you, my darling
Yeah, yeah
In the morning when I rise I see
Another girl in line ahead of me
Oh, what advantage with the way you do me
When you walk by abd when you get round to me
Yeah, take a look at me
Im in line for you, my darling
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah, Im in line
I dont want to waste my time
Waiting for some guy to change his mind
You dont ever notice
Standing in the shadows
And I cant tell you why
Im in line for you, my darling
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
song performed by by Bangles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Line Is Fine
Look at me Im so disgusting
I will never find another
Quite like you
You make me blue
With the things you do
Look at you youre so familiar
We could be so cool together
All the time
Could all be fine
Were on the line
The line is fine
Open up ma window
The line is fine
Standing on the ledge
Well I dont look down
Looking at the people
Well they all look fine
Its not just life or death
Yesterday we talked together
But tonight its just the weather
Chillin me
Whats the point in silly talking
We could get there quicker walking
Down the line
Could all be fine
But were on the line
The line is fine
Chorus
But staring at the faces
Standing in a row
Thinking of all the places
That they have yet to go/they dont know
song performed by by Travis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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