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Gnarled Bones

by Don Whitaker

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about

Gnarled Bones is about a man searching for his soul mate. He carries a sadness -- which he calls 'gnarled bones' -- with him throughout his life, sometimes catching echoes of her from a past life with his true love. Follow this man's journey as he searches . . . and concludes he's a better man for this painful journey.

lyrics

I’ve no memory of the greatest loving
of my existence, only an odd feeling
of great loss, which I carry like gnarled bones.

All these bones I heft through this strange life, dragging
myself through the long process, yearning, trying
my damnedest to create a pure peace, my tones.

Know you’re out there somewhere, I see,
find you anywhere, I believe,
I’ll never stop searching, I’ll be
a better man for the journey,
just a good man for the journey.

Some call me crazy, living with gnarled bones,
bones in my music, bones in the very eyes
of my exuberance; why do they appear

when my will would grind them down like pumice stones?
Then her spirit hints, a déjà vu, belies
something I cannot grasp; she’s just a veneer.

Know you’re out there somewhere, I see,
find you anywhere, I believe,
I’ll never stop searching, I’ll be
a better man for the journey,
just a good man for the journey.

Glimpse her in the corner of a fresh girl’s eye,
in the tilt of a waitress’ slender hand,
Once I dreamt her say, “I fear you’ll never trust

in death, but then can you trust one such as I?”
She’s in the brown river of Time, I’m the sand;
I’ve always known she’s the steel and I’m the rust.

Know you’re out there somewhere, I see,
find you anywhere, I believe,
I’ll never stop searching, I’ll be
a better man for the journey,
just a good man for the journey.

Artist’s note:
Will and Ariel Durant (1885-1981 and 1898-1981) wrote in “The Story of Civilization,” that “When a Hindu is asked why we have no memory of our past incarnations, he answers that likewise we have no memory of our infancy; and as we presume our infancy to explain our maturity, so he presumes past existences to explain our place and fate in our present life.”

credits

released June 25, 2015
Don Whitaker
Lyrics by Ward Kelley

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Don Whitaker Greencastle, Indiana

His first introduction to performing occurred at age six, when he found himself standing atop bars at local VFWs to sing covers – his efforts adding to Don’s stash of quarters for his pinball fascination. Don has been playing professionally since the age of 15, appearing in the horn section of the touring band, Morning Star, while also taking his turn at the mic as a young singer. ... more

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