Sweet sixteen
Freedom of the open road
Now in front of me
Life is a highway
And I was finally livin’ mine
You see
My first car wasn’t a car exactly
It was the old family minivan
But man, that didn’t stop me
From hitting top-speed
At a shaky one-hundred-and-three
Windows down scream
FREEEEEeeedoomm...
.
.
.
I loved driving those township roads
But I remember the day
I drove my first
Real four-lane highway
And I was petrified
Of the cars surrounding me
On all sides
And it took everything to keep
My eyes in front of me
“Keep your eyes forward
Keep them on the road
Keep them out in front”
I was always told
But I’d look left and happen to swerve right
I’d look right and everything got tight
Suddenly
The lane I was in
Was far too small
And my “highway life”
Felt a whole lot less free
And lot more fettered
To the lines
Which I was now between
So my eyes would dash
To and then fro
At anything I could see
Not on this crazy road
But all I saw was the flash
Of the trees that did grow
In their stagnant places
And so I grew
All the more anxious
Because I knew
There were no exits
Life is a highway
And this is my only one
Now I’ve never been suicidal
But have you ever found yourself
Wondering what would happen
If you stopped steering
Let go of the wheel and tires
Just to see
What could transpire...
Or maybe even
If I stayed in total control
And just veered this wheel
Toward the edge of the road
Just to see
How far I could go
But life is a highway
And I knew this was my only one
“Keep your eyes forward
Keep them on the road
Keep them out in front”
I was always told
So I set them right there
A few feet in front of me
I learned not to blink
Cuz’ I knew there could be
Potholes
And Road-apples
And things that could ding
This fallible frame of mine
Because we all know
**it happens
So I kept my eyes wide
And my hands gripped tight
Aways ready to swerve
Or jerk from side-to-side
Always ready
Always aware
Never steady
What a terror
“Why is this highway life
SO EXHAUSTING?”
Now
I know you’ll find this juvenile
But eventually
My eyes would grow tired
And I found it easy
When on a straight stretch mile
To rest my heavy eyes
Just for a while
But I should have known
I can sleep for miles
So when I reached
The curve in the road
I was in too deep
So I didn’t feel the rumble strips
Or hear the warning beeps
That I was about to hit
The end of my only road
Life is a highway and I fell asleep to mine
Please
Please
Stay awake to yours
