From the recording Zen Light
The idea for this emerged while stuck in traffic at the intersection of Highland and Center Avenue in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. A good friend in the passenger’s seat counseled, “John, it’s time to be Zen-like.”
If you're anything like me, I get a little impatient and occasionally emit expletives behind the wheel of an automobile. Okay, to be honest, I emit a LOT of obscenities while driving!
Patience is definitely not one of my virtues and I tend to get behind schedule, running late as I scurry around town for errands, deadlines, business meetings, appointments and even worse, gigs.
In contrast to the more rational, left-brained, laid-back mode I engage whenever possible, I seem to "meet my shadow," the dark side of my persona as Carl Jung calls it, when I encounter traffic jams.
I’m stuck at a red
Dyin’ for a green light
I got to move on
It’s time for the zen light
Been lost dry as a bone
Low on gas all alone
I need to know the past is gone
And life is moving
My body shakes
I pump the breaks
Grip gets tight
Fever climbs
Thoughts get loud
Engine pounds
Accelerates
Chorus
I want to dream out on the edge
I never know what happens next
A learning mind can only guess
Now the past is burning
Where rubber goes
To meet the road
I’ll get the vibe
Enjoy the ride
Embrace my soul
Lose control
My spirit flys
Chorus
My body shakes
I pump the breaks
Grip gets tight
Fever climbs
Thoughts get loud
Engine pounds
Accelerates
Chorus