Chase That Light

I was once like you I too Thought I'd one day move through Arriving somewhere not here but blue views Smooth cruising Crusades, mood fades, "too lates" poof! Nothing to prove just A care-free dude

I'd hit that lasting happiness That Disney said to chase as kids Summer trains in transit Band set lists or a first kiss Waiting in line, sweat drips Nervous to hold her hand My stomach flips as we glimpse The roller coaster ahead

It's in the Dead sailing your BMX and sipping a lime Ricky It's in the Breaking boards with hammer fists, that yellow belt was tricky It's in the Volkswagen in the cold winter, with the top down and with no heater Wax your board, double socks Shred until the snow stops

It's in the Bump May 16 through the speaks We walk extreme these late night streets Three taps on the feet, then your tossed Yellow waterslide, lost It's in the Learn to record your puberty-cracking voice with a mic Guitar chords on a four-track Loaded with songs left to die

These were the times Everything felt alright And now all we do is try To chase that light Like catching a flickering flame that you can't hold

Grasping, the clasping, attachment That's where the pain grows But I don't Wanna let it go

It's in the grasping, the clasping, attachment That's where the pain grows But I don't Wanna let it go No

It was my old man who freed me to chase that light To make that song I could be the artist I wanted to be all along

He gave us more than anybody But now he's been torn from his body And my whole body is sorry I got him what hardly Even nodded to the Love he imparted The dearly departed divine

Was I a good son in his eyes? Before his oversized heart pumped so hard That he died? I wanted to give you a home, knees fixed A place close to your grandkids Wanted to see you more, didn't Wanted to call you more, wouldn't

I was going for the macro When it's the micro that hits The relationship lately is really the only one that exists And lately, I've done my own thing Death chased you as I chased green Trying to get you what I thought you need All you wanted was to hear from me

We weren't just your children (It's true I never knew) We were your oxygen

So when we met our wives, took flight, building up our own lives We deprived you of The only sight That ever gave you light

We were the why Everything felt alright And now all we do is try To chase his light Like catching a flickering flame that you can't hold

Grasping, the clasping, attachment That's where the pain grows But I don't Wanna let it go

It's in the grasping, the clasping, attachment That's where the pain grows But I don't Wanna let it go No

They say Buddha's last words were "Be your own light" The peace and happiness that we seek Can't be gleaned from the outside Yeah, the world of ten thousand things Breeds a ceaseless craving But can seeking emptiness be Just another form of chasing?

It's in the Vipassana on the breath Yeah, that's the way out It's in the Altars and mantras Just gotta repeat them out loud

It's in the 5-MeO therapy K-hole, no more misery I'm internally peaceful all day If externally everything's okay

It's hard to be in a body With a mind aware of itself Consciousness is alarming with every in- and exhale

The human predicament is As Pennywise quipped "We all float" Equipped for enlightenment? Nope But "down here" we're suckers for hope

To break the illusion and wake up Something that we made up So we don't get stuck In psychological ruts But maybe none of us Can rise above our feet in the mud

So it's no duh we chase that light Even if we know it's a lie No matter the type Just hoping it might Give us some peace of mind

These are the lies (To) make everything feel alright And now all we do is try To chase that light Like catching a flickering flame that you can't hold

Grasping, the clasping, attachment That's where the pain grows But I don't Wanna let it go

It's in the grasping, the clasping, attachment That's where the pain grows But I don't Wanna let it go No