Temple of Steel

 

Temple of Steel

by Richard Lawry

Wheels of memory spin and hum

Polished chrome where shadows run

A whisper of lives long undone

In the Bob Lawry Auto Museum

Dreams parked in rows

I see 'em

Thirty-nine Zephyr

Glide like a ghost

Thirty-four Desoto

Curves I love most

Twenty-six Oakland

Rust and grace

Stories etched in every trace

Forty Buick

Time slows its pace

Engines that spoke

Engines that sighed

Every ride a piece of pride

In the Bob Lawry Auto Museum

Dreams parked in rows

I see 'em

Thirty-nine Zephyr

Glide like a ghost

Thirty-four Desoto

Curves I love most

Oil and dust

Love and decay

Echoes of hands

That paved the way

Each chassis a heart

Each hood a soul

In this temple of steel

I feel whole

You can listen to the song as recorded by Faded Chrome at this link

Country Doctor

Country Doctor
by Richard Lawry

Country doctor in a Model T coupe

There is another call he needs to attend

Fog in the holler, wind blowing through
Her baby is sick, what should she do
Send for the doctor, ride through the night
Praying to God it will be alright

Country doctor in a Model T coupe
Motor chugging, there's work to do
Chug-chug chugging
Doctor's coming through

Headlights in the yard, Model T arrives
Black bag in his hand, her spirit revives
There in the doorway, she steps aside and
Mama welcomes the Doctor inside

Country doctor in a Model T coupe

Motor chugging, there's work to do

Chug-chug chugging

Doctor's coming through

Baby has a cough and terrible fever
It's breathing isn't too good either
He listened close to that tiny chest
And promised he would do his best

Country doctor in a Model T coupe

Motor chugging, there's work to do

Chug-chug chugging

Doctor's coming through

Morning comes, sunrise around
The fever broke, the child slept sound
Doctor wrote his note and closed his case
Said, I'll check back soon, I wish you grace

Model T started, bounced round the bend
There is another call Doc needs to attend
Many more miles, back on the road
They're hoping that he won't be slowed

In his Model T coupe
Trusty Model T coupe

Country doctor in a Model T coupe

Motor chugging, there's work to do

Chug-chug chugging

Doctor's coming through

Roll on Model T coupe
The doctor's needed
Make it through
Roll on, roll on
Model T coupe
The doctor's needed
Make it through
In his Model T coupe
Trusty Model T coupe

You can listen to the song as recorded by Faded Chrome at this link

Poems, Hymns and Songs

 

Poems, Hymns and Songs written by Richard Lawry

A Seaside Sunset

Chrome and Velvet Dreams

Whitewalls and Fenderskirts

A Solitary Place

Driving Arkansas Roads

Country Doctor

Temple of Steel

Driving Arkansas Roads

 

Driving Arkansas Roads
By Richard Lawry
 
Dust rises soft where we've begun
A peach moon hangs low, undone
Magnolia whispers in the Arkansas air
The stars align, dreams everywhere
The hum of the engine with the top down
My heart beats louder when you're around
 
Every bend, every turn
Something inside returns
 
Driving Arkansas roads
Under skies that never close
In a convertible
Just me, the stars and you
Driving Arkansas roads
While the quiet truth unfolds
 
Gravel clicks like a skipping stone
Each mile a memory carved in bone
The road runs black
Where the moonlight fades
Time slows down
But the moment stays
Red dirt stains on my old car
A melody born on your guitar
 
Driving Arkansas roads
Under skies that never close
In a convertible
Just me, the stars and you
Driving Arkansas roads
While the quiet truth unfolds
 
Every fence post, every tree
Holds a secret meant for me
A waltz of whispers, fiddle odes
This love is born on Arkansas roads

A Solitary Place

 

A Solitary Place

by Richard Lawry

Now in the morning long before the light

I rise while the world is still asleep

Cold air on my breath gravel under my feet

A quiet road is calling me

The sky is filled with diamond fire

No sound but my heartbeat here

In the stillness I remember why

In solitude I feel you near

When the noise falls away

And the dark feels alive

I hear your still small voice

Come and be with me

So I find a solitary place

Where heaven feels close

I lift my eyes, I slow my pace

And my cares melt away

Before the sun paints the day

Before the world begins to move

I meet you here in the quiet dark

In a solitary place with you

A dark night road beneath my wheels

Stars like a thousand burning flares

The Milky Way stretched across the sky

Majestic brushstrokes everywhere

No city lights, no borrowed glow

Just grandeur in an open space

The heavens sing what words can't hold

Creation testifies your grace

When the noise falls away

And the dark feels alive

I hear your still small voice

Come and be with me

So I find a solitary place

Where heaven feels close

I lift my eyes I slow my pace

And my cares melt away

Before the sun paints the day

Before the world begins to move

I meet you here in the quiet dark

In a solitary place with you

Teach me how to rise and seek

To love the stillness love the calm

To filter out the world's doublespeak

In the early morning balm

No spotlight, no crowd, no sound

Just you and me on silent ground

The darker the night, the brighter you shine

Eternal stars, eternal light

So I'll find a solitary place

Again and again I'll return

Where every fear and every tear

Is met with mercy I don't earn

Before the sun paints the day

Before the world begins to move

I meet you here in the quiet dark

In a solitary place with you

You can listen to the song as recorded by Faded Chrome at this link

Whitewalls and Fenderskirts

Whitewalls and Fenderskirts

by Richard Lawry

Whitewalls spinning down the street

Flashing a smile as we meet

Hubcaps gleaming like a steel guitar

Chasing dreams in my favorite car

Fenderskirts low

The paint it gleams

Every turn a snapshot

A vintage dream

Whitewalls whisper

The night agrees

We're riding

The edge of memories

Fins slicing through the evening air

Tuck and roll seats, fuzzy dice hanging there

Radio crackles with a timeless tune

Under the night sky we race the moon

Lost in the roar of the V/8's song

Time slips away as we drive on

Fenderskirts low

The paint it gleams

Every turn a snapshot

A vintage dream

Whitewalls whisper

The night agrees

We're riding

The edge of memories

Whitewalls and fenderskirts are keeping score

Miles blur, but I crave a little more

Hubcaps and fins are just a ghost

Haunting the past

But these moments

Oh, they're built to last

Fenderskirts low

The paint it gleams

Every turn a snapshot

A vintage dream

Whitewalls whisper

The night agrees

We're riding

The edge of memories

Whitewalls and fenderskirts are keeping score

Miles blur, but I crave a little more

Hubcaps and fins are just a ghost

Haunting the past

But these moments

Oh, they're built to last

Yeah

Whitewalls and fenderskirts

They're built to last

 

Chrome and Velvet Dreams

Chrome and Velvet Dreams

by Richard Lawry

Polished chrome under the sun so high

Velvet seats where stories lie

Bob Lawry's kingdom a dream in steel

Every curve a whisper, every line surreal

Roll back time, hear the engines hum

Chrome and velvet, where we come from

A Zephyr's glide, an Airflow's sigh

Buick dreams, Oakland skies

Thirty-nine Zephyr like a bird in flight

Thirty-four Desoto sleek through the night

A Buick Limited bold and grand

Twenty-six Oakland a ghost of the land

Roll back time, hear the engines hum

Chrome and velvet, where we come from

A Zephyr's glide, an Airflow's sigh

Buick dreams, Oakland skies

Each grill a grin, each wheel a tale

On these roads of memory we sail

Time stands still in this museum glow

Where the past is alive and it always shows

Roll back time, hear the engines hum

Chrome and velvet, where we come from

A Zephyr's glide, an Airflow's sigh

Buick dreams, Oakland skies