There But For Nothing

He was standing alone by a moose crossing sign
On a northern Ontario roadside
Wearing big winter boots in the summer sunshine
He had a face like a weather-worn goat's hide
I looked in that face and saw my fellow man
Out of luck and beat down to the ground
I opened my door and I held out my hand
And said buddy, now where are you bound?

Victoria bound without money or hope,
And that's a hell of a hard road to travel
Just one more man at the end of his rope
Watchin it slowly unravel
But he told me his story in well-chosen words
As the lakes and the forests slipped by
Something forgotten inside of me stirred
And said "There but for Nothing go I".

When we hit Manitoba I made him a deal
As we stopped to put gas in the car
I said I'd be happy to buy you a meal
If you'd just play on my old guitar
And he felt so ashamed cuz his clothes were in rags
But his belly just couldn't say no
He said the last time I ate was from green garbage bags
Back in Ottawa four days ago

And he played me the songs that a panhandler plays
When he stands by the liquor store door
Songs about memories and happier days
Words that we've all heard before
And he sang in a voice that was broken and hard
And he ended at last with a sigh
I knew this was a man who had played his last card
And there but for nothing go I

Saskatchewan wheatfields were black in the night
I was alone, he was sleeping
I stared at the darkness beyond the headlights
I knew I had nothing worth keeping
But when I crossed the line he awoke before me
He said "Hey, I'm not ready to die!"
I thought of those things that I had yet to see
I realized neither was I

I left him alone by a speed limit sign
On the side of an Edmonton highway
Told him I hoped it would all work out fine
He wished me good luck on my way
And though that was the last time that I saw his face
I never did quite say goodbye
He was out of the running, but still in the race
There but for nothing go I
There but for nothing go I
There but for nothing go I ...

I didn't really have to write this song. On that marathon drive in the summer of 1994, everything that happened just rhymed.