Lake Placid Blues

At the time I was too young for the meaning
But it's become much clearer through the years
We gathered 'round the boy in his army clothes
He said goodbye and his mother shed her tears
Every day she watched for the postman
But the long-awaited letter was overdue
It's not the silence that makes you crazy
It's the sound of a heart breaking in two

Then it came across the ocean
It was hard to understand the awful news
And I don't know why I still remember
I guess it's just the Lake Placid blues

I turned eighteen and left that part of the country
Went down on the Padre Island coast
Of all the hard times I still remember
The repossession of the guitar hurt the most
The paupers stood in line outside the mission
And I huddled there beside them in the rain
A priest came to the door with empty eyes
I could see he no longer felt their pain

Some were searching for forgiveness
And others only wanted food
I needed more than I could ask for
There is no comfort with the Lake Placid blues

It's hard to find good friends in a lifetime
You can usually count them on one hand
I shivered by the fire in the dawn's break
And they scattered his ashes on the sand

And the silver cranes came over in formation
In a sacred manner they flew
And I will always remember
The sky of Lake Placid blue

Lake Placid blue
Lake Placid blue