A few selections to remember the day my life ended (8/16/87)

Well it's been ten years and a thousand tears
And look at the mess I'm in
A broken nose and a broken heart,
An empty bottle of gin
Well I sit and I pray
In my broken down Chevrolet
While I'm singin' to myself
There's got to be another way

[Chorus:]
Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain
I'm lonely and I'm tired
And I can't take any more pain
Take away, take away
Never to return again
Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain

Well I've searched and I've searched
To find the perfect life-
A brand new car and a brand new suit
I even got me a little wife-
But wherever I have gone
I was sure to find myself there-
You can run all your life
But not go anywhere

[Chorus]

Well I'll pass the bar on the way
To my dingy hotel room-
I spent all my money
Been drinkin' since half past noon-
I'll wake there in the mornin'
Or maybe in the county jail-
Times are hard getting harder
I'm born to lose and destined to fail-

-- Social Distortion, "Ball and Chain"



I see lives crash like waves on the shore again and again
In an endless cycle of join and pain
Inside one day your whole life can change innocence torn away
Trust gives way to a thicker skin
A shield from pain? or a trap that keeps it all in.
They tried to break me down - i had to break away
I woke up from that night mare to start another day

I wanna be a simple man with a little peace of mind
Live a simple life, in a place thats kind

I see lives crash like waves on the shore again and again.
No poetry, No symmetry, nothing left inside of me
What happened to that feeling of invincibility?
Broken up caught under the load
Broken down by the side of the road
They tried to break me down i had to break away
I woke up from that nightmare to start another day....

-- Bouncing Souls, "Simple Man"