If you give me a second, I’ll give you a nugget of gold.
Whatever it is, I’ll give you tenfold.
I know that a second is just an inkling of time,
 that can click away without reason or rhyme.
We seldom take notice as they pass by
they don’t warn us of their leaving,
as seconds to minutes, they fly.
 
We sit and wonder how we got this old
as seconds upon seconds continue to unfold.
First seconds, then hours, then days
life can pass us by in a myriad of ways.
I’m here, in the moment, and will guarantee,
it’s going to happen to you and to me.
 
If you give me a grain of sand, I’ll give you a sandy beach.
Where you can feel the sun and the wind just out of reach,
and stretch out to your delight without a worry or care,
the only thing missing is that I’m not there.
 A beach with perfect sand bleached white by the sea,
where you can build a sand castle and dream with me.
With every grain of sand washed up on the shore
I’ll give you another, a million times more.
 
If you give me one cloud, I’ll give you blue sky
so you may walk through your days and never cry.
If you give me a moment of sunshine, I’ll give you a wandering star;
its brilliance will light your path day and night, close or far.
I’ll give you the world and all within my power.
To hold you and love you, I’d climb the highest tower.
My only wish is to be with you and together grow old.
So, give me a second, I’ll give you tenfold.

Another shot and beer, barkeep, if you please.
I need to set my heart at ease.
Then two or perhaps three or four more;
just keep them coming
there’s no reason to keep score.
One beer makes me antsy,
two beers make me brave,
a third with a shot of ‘Jack’
makes me want to cave.

“Get out,” she’d said, “you wear me down.
I want a man with common sense;
who can bring me roses and use a wrench.
One who brings with him a pot of gold,
so I’ll never worry about getting old;
who can make love through the night
and do it again and again at first light;
whose kiss holds true throughout the day.
Damn it, what more can I say?”

“I understand you’re looking for someone other than me,” I’d said.
“You dream of a man you hold in your head.
One who hears your every word and caters to your every wish;
who can ride a bronco and wash a dish.”
The hell with her, I said in my head.
Or should I surrender and crawl back to her bed,
where most times we settle things in a manly-womanly way?

There’s no need to fight ‘cause I’ll never win.
My groveling before her is my even greater sin.
I need to man up and hold my sacred ground;
be the man I know I can be, the one who was so profound.
I traveled the highway and did only manly tasks
from scaling the highest mountain to wielding a Viking’s axe.
Where did he go,
that masculine guy, who was bigger than life
who swore he would never have a wife?

Who am I kidding?
 I am who I am;
a man who can’t live alone,
who needs a woman by his side,
and a place to call home.
 I guess I too am searching for a way;
to be the man she wants me to be,
to face the inner demons I must slay,
and unlock all that’s inside, oh I yearn to be free.

I’ve all the time I need to put another drink in me
Another shot and beer, barkeep, if you please.
I need to set my heart at ease.
Then two or perhaps three or four more;
just keep them coming
there’s no reason to keep score.
This was my final plea.

The barkeep turned and looked at me.
“I’m shutting you down, you’re a man, you’ll not drown.
You had enough, you’re two drinks over the limit
​and that’s just crazy stuff.
It’s time for you to go home.
So put your tail between your legs
and maybe she’ll throw you a bone.
You can’t stay here,
the bar’s about to close.
You’ve run out of time;
I’ve run out of beer.”

Red, black, white, woman, man, all ~
stood in awe and watched them fall;
thirteen hundred sixty-eight feet tall.
“What’s going on?” They spoke as one
as the ground began to roar
and the building fell floor by floor.
 
Within seconds another plane flew
into the second Tower too.
Bodies now jumping from the sky;
what a horrific way to die
 
The American Tribe sucked the soot
deep into its lungs.
As they approached the Towers
a wall of fire engulfed them on the way in,
many of them were not seen again.
They made a choice today
to save those that they could
and not simply walk away.
The ultimate price to pay.
 
Red, black, white, woman, man, all ~
came together as one.
Americans, rising with the morning sun.
The American Tribe is at its best
when its patriotism is put to the test.
No pigment of skin drives them apart,
because to their core they remain of one heart.
 
America Free, American Brave
Her enemies should run and hide
In times of struggle there is no divide.
America comes alive.
It’s just the nature of the American Tribe.