Nose Before Ear

I'm gonna start this song on a dark low road
 Out of respect for the story that it tells
 It all begins with the prick of a finger
 A man and his fear, with nose before ear
 So many ways to love him
 So little time to choose among them
 I'll stick with the ones whose hearts are torn
 Broken, that's why the blues were born
 A man and his life and his race to the finish
 And the moments infused with dread
 All in the service of tryin' to diminish
 Disappointments that lay in ambush
 Upon the path ahead
 I'm not tryin' to stitch this heart to that sleeve
 It's simply a case of mutual need
 A grief more dance than hearts can bear
 That's the way it goes, with nose before ear
 This is the story of the land-locked sailor
 Who cried himself to sea
 This is the tale of the sleeping princess
 Who found her way back to me
 What we love will kill us
 That which won't don't thrill us
 I'm gonna tell you a story about the ones that I love
 And a life lived, nose before ear