Education

25% of my education came from goin' to school
Another 10% I gained from playing games and acting a fool
Teenager at the bonfire debating without a leg to stand on
Drinking any garbage alcohol I could get my young hands on
Milwaukee's Best?
Damn, Milwaukee must be in some rough shape
Bad idea like tryin' to fix your gun safe with some duct tape
5% came from staring at Orion all alone
Another 10 I got from looking into the eyes of my mom
Who just lost her mom to the great unknown

On account of a weak staff and an incompetent nursing home
Get out your chair if you wanna help a lady in distress
God bless I'll have to find her up in heaven I guess

And I really have no idea if there is such a place
But I have an ongoing convo with the mystery and heavenly grace
And if there is a golden gate before the throne of god
Im'a ask Saint Peter how it felt when Satchmo came up and took his job
Another quarter came from the border of romance and common sense
And the loss of love challenging established confidence
Took my fair share of low blows
In the ring below the lights
And had my lights knocked out
Like lightning striking satellites
But when I got back up on the roof my signal was stronger than ever
To persevere with no fear of the weather whatsoever
The rest of my lessons came from trauma in the ER
Watching loved ones prove just how extraordinary we are
And I know I'm not exactly on the most enlightened path
But I gain new understanding every time I hear my son laugh

Now I know nobody's asking but I'm feeling compelled
Like my dad when he was flat broke and learning how to weld
Sparks burning his hands and bouncing all around his feet
With a young wife and 3 kids at home needing to eat
You do what you gotta do and that's the end of the story
And little ones should only be concerned with searching for Dory
Still nobody's requesting and I'm far from Magellan
But if my son needs some direction here's what im'a tell him

If ya take care of something it's gonna last a long time
That goes for cars and tools and relationships too
If you neglect a dream it's gonna wither up and die
So use your time well and follow what's inspiring you
Forgiveness and goodwill are the highest of achievements
And the ties that feel the strongest are not always shatterproof

Not taking up arms doesn't constitute a weakness
And you make time for what honestly matters to you
A woman is complex and a little different than a man
She was born with intuition you will never understand
Capabilities and knowledge that mystify and confuse
You must never abuse her
She must never abuse you
The universe is well beyond our understanding
And God is not a fantasy
Ask Martin Luther King
It takes all kinds of people to keep this big world running
Some will want to see you win
Others want to see you done in
Fueled by greed
They'll try to use you like a stepping stone
Just step aside and let them trip and fall into the ebb and flow
Low tide is inevitable, embrace your darkest hour
The sun above is incredible but love holds all the power
Know that everybody wants to use their fists sometime
But I've never personally seen it do any good, not one time
Son it's hard to say what it takes to be a man
But you gotta know your limits and ignore'm however you can
Honor yourself and do your best this whole life through
Cause remember: there's never gonna be another you