Lyrics

APRIL ON THE PRAIRIE / © 2010 James Barton
From the All Come Home CD

Chasing the horizon
Slowing the setting sun
A silver jet airliner
Made a quick mid-western run
The seatbelt light shown softly
As we started our descent
And I dreamed of what lay waiting
Below the firmament

The foothills rolled below me
On Indiana’s western coast
And rose to meet Chicago
The city I love the most
It’s always been a problem
Coming in this time of year
But tonight the road before me
Trumps the atmosphere

The winds of March can fool you
Their moods swing on a dime
But April on the prairie
Will get you every time
Get you every time

Headed south out of Chicago
Bypassed Kankakee
When a wash of ancient memories
Poured all over me
Put the pedal to the metal
Turned up the radio
And the night was filled with stories
From thirty years ago

There were eight musicians standing
And another one underground
They met out by the crossroads
And listened for the sound
Of voices raised together
Of instruments in tune
Of songs they’d all forgotten
And howling at the moon

The winds of March can fool you
Their moods swing on a dime
But April on the prairie
Will get you every time

Lucky is the old man
Revisiting his youth
Comes back with a box of memories
And a little bit of the truth
But the only thing that matters
When all is said and done
Is when we weigh our aspirations
Against what we have become

The winds of March can fool you
Their moods swing on a dime
But April on the prairie
Will get you every time