Gin Sling

Closer to death Been many miles since we last met Still, it seems like I stood still as time passed by That year my pride did sting 'Cause for a young man, it's a terrible thing To realise for the first time that his mother was right Oh this old gin sling will keep me satisfied Ah yeah, the cold air won't blow and I can close my eyes Ah she came to me Her eyes full of sorrow and empty of sleep And asked how it seemed I'd been doing alright (and I laughed) It was a trick that she taught me I drink so that I sleep without having dreams And when I wake up in the morning, oh it is all I can do to survive Oh this old gin sling keeps me satisfied Though it hurts me more than I know and takes away my mind Oh but the closer I get to home, fills me with dread just to know I'll be alone with a bottle on the shelf All right... But I put it down, just as soon as I realised Oh that the hard times, they don't get better When life goes in the shadows of memories The dark times make it hard to remember All the reasons the good times ended We remain where others cannot dwell It's not our place to fall where they fell Do you really think that makes anyone happy but yourself? Oh this old gin sling left me high and dry So I put it back on the shelf for a little while Ah but I still pull it down every now and again Not to toast what's gone before, but to all that remains, yeah Oh always lost in memory, never to forget Laying low with those ghosts is my only regret