The Old Down East

In the time I spent in the Old Down East
I learned a lesson or two at least
It's always a famine, never a feast
But I made my peace at last
At least, I guess I made my peace
With my past...

I mean at least I managed to chain the beast
At least some of his wicked ways have ceased
Or at least they haven't been much increased
Except at night, when he gets unleashed

And he roams alone through my cluttered mind
Angry for having been kept confined
And I hate the mess that he leaves behind
But at least he does no harm
I mean, at least he does no harm
With his crippled arm....

But with his other arm, and his teeth and tail
His mighty legs, and his piercing wail
His fiery breath that stinks of ale
And his eyes like the holes in the door of a jail

He sometimes does get carried away
But I don't mind, he's just having his say
And I'm sure it will all turn out okay
It is my past, after all
And I'm sure that any damage done
Is small...

Except for the part he destroyed with a knife
About dealing with traumas and troubles and strife
And how to relate to my kid and my wife
And moreover, how to get on with my life

I must admit, that is one thing I've missed
But it's gone like a laundered old laundry list
And what's gone is forgotten, on that I insist
In memory's magical mist...

It's forgotten, except,
When my poor old past gets pissed.

I wrote this song a long time ago, when I first figured out that there is more darkness in the heart than in the night.