I am a traveling man, a traveling man.
I never stay too long.
I take a job and leave it.
But when I stop, I hunker down
And search out long-forgotten friends,
Kindred, broken, torn-up, souls
The grown-ups leave behind
And they hang on by the tassels
To crumbs left for the dogs.
And I take down their stories
To tell the world about the ones
That chose the most unwanted roles
So that others could be the winners.
For someone has to lose in life.
Someone has to be the one
That falls behind.
It’s an important part,
And there is much to learn
From being broken and despised.
But it is easy to forget.
And so I take notes.
I write it down
And then hold it up before the world
In all its gruesome beauty.
A traveling man, a traveling man,
And I never stay too long.
I take a job. I write it down.
I tell the story. I leave the town.
And all because I’m a traveling man,
A traveling man, a traveling man.
