Songs and Poems

 

Poems, Hymns and Songs written by Richard Lawry

Click on the links below for each poem

A Seaside Sunset

Chrome and Velvet Dreams

Whitewalls and Fenderskirts

A Solitary Place

Driving Arkansas Roads

Country Doctor

Temple of Steel

The Road Rolls On

Little Toy Train

Little Red and White Nash

Long Beach Serenade

Respect the Rust

Respect the Rust

Respect the Rust

by Richard Lawry

Ford Model A sitting out behind the barn

Paint's long gone but it still holds charm

Bench seat torn, springs poking through

But that's where I learned dreams still come true

Every dent's a lesson

Every mark is a tale

Every rusty bolt

Taught me how not to fail

Daddy said, Son the shine don't mean much

If you wanna know the truth

You gotta respect the rust

So respect the rust

Every scar and every stain

Yeah respect the rust

The stories in the frame

All the busted knuckles

All the miles in the cold

All the hours of work

Every rusty car sold

Those old cars taught me more

Than a book ever could

Hard work turns rusty metal

Into something good

What time tries to take

We keep with

Respect for the rust

Yeah, respect the rust

Rust shows all the years

The tears and the tries

Rust is always true

It never shows lies

Daddy said, Son the shine don't mean much

If you wanna know the truth

You gotta respect the rust

So respect the rust

Every scar and every stain

Yeah respect the rust

The stories in the frame

All the busted knuckles

All the miles in the cold

All the hours of work

Every rusty car sold

Those old cars taught me more

Than a book ever could

Hard work turns rusty metal

Into something good

What time tries to take

We keep with

Respect for the rust

Yeah, respect the rust

Don't polish out the weather

Don't try to paint it new

What's worn is what holds together

What's old is tried and true

Let the weather take its time

Let the rain do what it must

Real strength ain't shine or polish

It's learning how to respect the rust

So respect the rust

The stories it protects

The sweat and the blood

In the moments we collect

Some folks chase perfect

But perfection never stays

We can learn a lot

From the old time ways

Respect the rust

Respect the scars

Every dent tells

Who we are

In a modern world

Where we try to adjust

We have to learn

To respect the rust

Respect the rust

Respect the rust

You can listen to the song as recorded by The Junkyard Misfits at this link

Long Beach Serenade

Long Beach Serenade

by Richard Lawry

Before the sun begins the day

I walk where moonlight washes away

Silver whispers on the sand

As waves roll in I understand

Each breath of tide that comes before

A fleeting mirror then no more

But still it comes again, again

Like mercy rolling in

Miles of beach

No one but me

A world filled

With quiet peace

The silent road

Of sand and sea

Where freedom feels

Like destiny

When the light feels far away

And I'm standing on the edge of gray

I'll lift my eyes, I'll comprehend

There's strength rising deep within

Then out of nowhere, silently

A shadow keeps me company

Golden wings tt my right side

Grace in a gentle glide

Seven feet of fearless flight

Majestic in the morning light

The eagle flies, not fighting hard

Lets the currents lead undeterred

Those who trust the Lord

will find their strength restored

They will soar like eagles on the wind

A normal life transcend

The eagle won't rush, he will not strain

He trusts the unseen breath again

A subtle move, a lifted wing

And miles are crossed without tiring

The eagle climbs, the sky grows wide

And slowly fades from human sight

He lifts his eyes, he trusts the wind

He soars on with his unseen friend

Miles of beach

No one but me

A world filled

With quiet peace

The silent road

Of sand and sea

Where freedom feels

Like destiny

Those who trust the Lord

will find their strength restored

They will soar like eagles on the wind

A normal life transcend

They trust the unseen breath again

Those who trust the Lord

will find their strength restored

They will soar like eagles on the wind

A normal life transcend

Those who trust the Lord

will find their strength restored

They will soar like eagles on the wind

A normal life transcend

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

You can listen to the song as recorded by The Junkyard Misfits at this link

Little Red and White Nash

Little Red and White Nash

by Richard Lawry

Wheels turn low

Where the blacktop bends

This little car

My only friend

Red and white

She gleams

She shines

Takes me far

Past these modern times

Oh

The wind sings louder

Than the past

In my little

Red and white Nash

Let it go

Flying low

But not so fast

In my little

Red and white Nash

Dust kicks up

It paints the air

The sun leans down

It doesn't care

Fields roll wide

They wave

They bow

I'm heading somewhere

But I don't know how

The road unfolds

It doesn't end

This little car

My only friend

Oh

The wind sings louder

Than the past

In my little

Red and white Nash

Let it go

Flying low

But not so fast

In my little

Red and white Nash

Yesterday's a town

I don't stop in

Tomorrow's just

A whisper in the wind

I've got now

And now feels right

Underneath this

Endless sky tonight

Oh

The wind sings louder

Than the past

In my little

Red and white Nash

Let it go

Flying low

But not so fast

In my little

Red and white Nash

The road unfolds

It doesn't end

This little car

My only friend

Life is good

In my little

Red and white Nash

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

Little Toy Train

 

Little Toy Train

by Richard Lawry

Six years old

A Colorado boy

For Christmas he wanted

Just one toy

Santa he said

All I want

Is an electric Train

But I know the cost

I know Daddy can't make it mine

So a wind-up train will be just fine

When Daddy heard his boy's refrain

He vowed to get him an electric train

On Christmas Eve

The boy was in bed

Electric train tracks

Around the tree spread

Christmas morning

A big surprise

The boy could not

Believe his eyes

Click-clack, click-clack

Steady and slow

Chuff-chuff, chuff-chuff

Watch her go

Toot-toot. toot-toot

Joyfully

Little toy train

Round the Christmas tree

Round and round the little train ran

The boy gasped and clapped his hands

He loved the train with all his heart

He knew that he would never part

Click-clack, click-clack

Steady and slow

Chuff-chuff, chuff-chuff

Watch her go

Toot-toot. toot-toot

Joyfully

Little toy train

Round the Christmas tree

The boy has grown to be a man

But every year since that Christmas grand

He sets up the train around the tree

And remembers how it used to be

Click-clack, click-clack

Steady and slow

Chuff-chuff, chuff-chuff

Watch her go

Toot-toot. toot-toot

Joyfully

Little toy train

Round the Christmas tree

Now the years have rolled

Like rails of time

Children laughing

Grandkids wide-eyed

That little train

Still circles the tree

Carrying love

Through the family

Click-clack, click-clack

Steady and slow

Chuff-chuff, chuff-chuff

Watch her go

Toot-toot. toot-toot

Joyfully

Little toy train

Round the Christmas tree

You can listen to the song as recorded by The Junkyard Misfits at this link

The Road Rolls On

The Road Rolls On

by Richard Lawry

Forty years of hard work here

Dreams built where engines glow

A legacy in every bolt and seam

Bob Lawry's life, his craft, his name

Automobiles and memories remain

The road rolls on, it never ends

Richie, Chad, and Kenny

Carry on his legacy

Chrome that shines like the setting sun

Every curve tells what he's done

His story rides in every gleam

Wheels may rust but not the pride

In this museum time's alive

Come see the spark that never died

Bob Lawry's life, his craft, his name

Automobiles and memories remain

The road rolls on, it never ends

Richie, Chad, and Kenny

Carry on his legacy

The past drives forward, the future steers

Come see the road of forty years

Bob's heart still beats here

At the Bob Lawry Auto Museum

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

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