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
 Said goodbye and his mother shed her tears
 Everyday 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
 I don't know why I still remember
 I guess it's just
 Lake Placid Blues
 I turned eighteen and left that part of the country
 I 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 'em on one hand
 I shivered by the fire and the dawn was breaking
 And I scattered his ashes on the sand
 And the silver cranes flew over in formation
 In a sacred manner the flew
 And I will always remember
 The sky... was Lake Placid blue