A Picture of You (I Wish I Knew You Then)
Larry Cook
There's a picture of you where your eyes seem to pierce
Thru the photographer's intentions
His careless love his animal fears
His wildest dreams not to mention
My hands didn't shake then the camera's held still
Then all the clocks obeyed to my will
But I couldn't do it now unless it's to kill
All of the asked for attention
I wish I knew you then
I wish I knew
I wish I knew you then now that I do
With my pencil sharpened I still flatter the dark
But the company these days is getting boring
So I dropped my suitcase at the gates of the park
To sing thru the mist of the morning
That's where you'll find me, me and my mule
One stubborn nag one serenading fool
We still live by the law though we break all the rules
And the words just come out without warning
I wish I knew you then
I wish I knew
I wish I knew you then now that I do
Your dancing days are over there's sorrow in your dreams
The lines on your face they are many
But if on second thoughts you would alter your schemes
Then show them all or don't show any
Me myself I take a quick look in the mirror sometimes
Glance at the face to make sure that it's mine
Dorian Gray must have poured tons of water with the wine
But even Dorian can't deny the past, can he?
I wish I knew you then
I wish I knew
I wish I knew you then now that I do
Now the world is getting smaller
And so they fill her up with lies
The Twelve-o'clock News feels like an intrusion
And then God is reborn with blood in his eyes
It all adds up to the confusion
Down town alleys the music still plays
But it's getting harder to live up to those days
I must have felt somehow that this was coming my way
Always the truth seemed like an illusion
I wish I knew you then
I wish I knew
I wish I knew you then now that I do
Fleeting shadows on the walls of this room
They each tell a different story
But with the voices inside they will die pretty soon
And the battle will prove to be gory
Let's do some living then while we're still young
I got this here guitar you'll be the song
Let's take some chances, let's prove them wrong
And head for the Paths of Glory
I wish I knew you then
I wish I knew
I wish I knew you then now that I do