Harley Blues       by Riley Lincoln

Speeding down a side road going 90 mph

Speeding down a main road sideways

going 90 mph

Speeding down the highway ditch

going 90 mph

Speeding up a tree next to the highway

going 90 mph

You got those old "Harley Blues"

What you gonna do, what you gonna do ?

You gonna go flying into the blue !

Boys say the "Sinner's Prayer"

Then grab some air

slick back your hair

You got those old "Harley Blues"

There goes your shoes

You're gonna tumble right thru a big field of weed

It will be like a beautiful dream

One like you have never seen

No scraping bugs off your teeth tonight

No teeth after your flight

Body parts missing Left and Right

You got those old "Harley Blues" tonight

                              "Harley Blues"

                                                           December 2012

Royal American Train

                                                                                     By:  Riley Lincoln

                                                                                            West Palm Beach, FL

                                                                                            May, 2011

Counting the railroad ties

while walking up the old railroad track

is a lot easier than counting them

when you gotta come back.

Walking up the old track

you see hope and treasure.

Every night will be a pleasure,

you're never gonna look back.

Everything in the world you ever wanted

is right up the track.

There are gonna be  lots of neon lights and dancing girls.

Everything will be all right.

Wait a minute.

Is that a train coming down the track?

Sure is.

Better jump back.

Wait, this is not a regular old train,

this is a beautiful sight.

It's painted all bright.

It's the Royal American train

heading north across the plain.

Wait, it's slowing down,

and suddenly I heard a sound.

It was the brake man.

He was hollering really loud...

Jump on this train,

we will take you to wealth and fame.

This is what I always waited for

and then the train seemed to roar.

I jumped aboard, I'm gonna go.

That man said, Don't worry,

we'll find you a hole.

I was out at the cotton carnival

in Memphis a few days before.

Now I'm on the Royal American train

and gonna see more.

We were heading out of Memphis

across the great plain.

Pulled into Davenport

in a pouring rain.

Then a man hollered,,,

Let's go, boy, let's set up.

There I stood in the rain,

looking at my wealth and fame.

I must have been real dumb

because in a couple of minutes

I smashed my thumb.

I traveled across Canada

and across the U.S.,

and everywhere else I guess.

It was life at its best.

I drifted away from the show,

then met a friend I didn't know.

He said, I can give you wealth and fame

if you don't mind running a little cocaine.

I've always chased wealth and fame

but it's a tough game,

In '81 I was hauling a load

out of Columbus down the road. 

Crossed the border into Panama,

going to Panama City.

I was sitting pretty.

Then all of a sudden on my left

I saw light towers shining bright.

Wheels were turning,

the riders were packed tight.

It was a beautiful sight.

I pulled in real slow,

there I seen it...

the front gate read

Royal American Show.

Then I realized that I had found my wealth and fame

a long time ago.

It was the Royal American Show.

It was when we crossed the plain,

getting wet in the rain.

I wanna go back to that old railroad track.

But I can't.

Six police cars just drove up and surrounded me...

more police than I ever did see.

Now I'm looking out from behind bars

and I sure can't see very far.

All I can do is dream

about my wealth and fame.

The beautiful Royal American Train

is my dream!

                                    Showmans' Poet

test

Memories

Memories

                     Memories
                                      by:  The Showman's Poet
                                              Riley Lincoln
                                              West Palm Beach, FL
                                              May, 2011

Many players have walked under the awnings thru the years,
and many of them were brought to tears.
It was all fun and games
but everything is not the same.
Life was in the fast lane
even with a foot of rain.

If you put up a carnival
the people would come.
They let you get in their pockets,
their money would go like rockets.
It was lots of fun
and sometimes we had to run.

But there was always another town
right down the road;
and, with luck, it was a town
we never showed.
We would turn all the girls around,
bag up the money, then leave town.

Of course there was whiskey and booze
and even the cocaine blues.
It was rocking and rambling at its best,
we never needed any rest.

When the stars came out at night
and shined down real bright,
and the moon was right,
we were the sinners of the night.

There was nothing we couldn't do
and nothing we didn't do.
The devil had our soul
and he wouldn't let go.

We all had a home
but we all chose to roam.
We knew we couldn't last
because we were going too fast.

But there were a few of us
who made it through all the lust.
Now we sit back, pour a drink,
look up in the sky and realize....

It's come to an end and,
yes, we would do it all again.

THE ONE YOU LEFT BEHIND

THE ONE YOU LEFT BEHIND

THE ONE YOU LEFT BEHIND

by

The Showman's Poet

Riley Lincoln

West Palm Beach, FL

September, 2010

On a cloudy, windy night

with no stars in sight,

go outside and sit down.

Listen to the wind swirl around.

What the wind will tell you will make you cry.

As you think back, you'll know why.

The wind will tell you

about the girl you left behind.

The one you know

that you can never find.

The wind will tell you

about the most beautiful night

when you held each other

so very tight.

It was the most beautiful thing

ever to be.

The wind will tell you

to look back and see

how you and the carnival went away

the very next day.

And the wind will tell you

there were many more

that happened

just like before.

Only for one night

is just not right.

And the wind will tell you so,

and you will remember when

neither one of you could say no.

Now years later

you have a special one,

the other may have none.

But the season is starting to change.

The cold wind and angry snow

will come in from the range.

So in the spring

when the warm wind blows,

will we get together again?

No one knows!

Promised Land

Promised Land

Promised Land

dedicated to my friends,

Johnny Black and Bill Mac

by

The Showman's Poet

Riley Lincoln

West Palm Beach, FL

June, 2011

I headed north out of Pahokee

A wheel fell off the car.

It rolled so far I couldn't see,

then I lost the key.

Jumped an old freight train heading south,

and I got that old cotton mouth.

Gonna jump off this old train

and catch a plane.

Gonna go to that island in the sun,

the "promised land"

Gonna go to where the big weed grows.

Only one man knows

and he says there are

big buds everyday.

That's the way

I wanna pass the time away.

He says whiskey flows

from the local spring,

you lay around

all day and sing.

Levon will be there

playing his drums real loud,

there will be pickups

from all around.

Dylan will be there

with his sound.

This is where the 72 virgins live,

so they say,

and you get to sit and watch railroad trains

go by all day.

This is the promised land.

You don't need any money in your hand.

Everything is free.

This is the promised land

and the big white line is oh so fine.

The drug store is open day and night.

Mr. Feelgood will make you feel right.

The big white horse grazes in the hills.

To me, it's chills,

to some, it's thrills.

This is the promised land.

You only need a one-way ticket for the plane,

and there's a 100 percent discount

if it looks like rain.

Your dog and cat

fly for free.

They get to sit

on your knee.

The plane has no wings....

you don't need any of those things.

You're going to the promised land.

So when your life goes south,

get your ticket in hand

and come to the promised land.

The sun shines all day,

the moon shines all night,

and the stars are always

really bright.

A nice warm breeze

blows in from the sea.

This is where

you will find me....

The Promised Land