Once I knew one who got away To be an artist so they say But to see the self-portrait of The man before he left for love Bereft of love is sad all right We see how bad it was because The tie around the neck of his Collar dollar by dollar is Canine or else a rope to hang Up human hope and everything The way all day he wore it tight He painted through the dark to light But he made off away one night Like Gauguin where they understand Not by the neck but by the hand He got it and so he got down Out of his tie out of his head He got it and got out of town To paint the out-of-town instead He got it and so he got out He got what he was all about And he is happy now no doubt Who once was very uptight then Said "this is now and now is when Harry paints the out-of-town red!" He got it and then he got free Got what he wanted finally Another but not unlike me Very glad to be gone today Harry was one who got away +Steven Curtis Lance Copyright MMXIV