nothing is easy

it was when i was young, single and free that i was driving to vegas

left the city of angels behind, heading east in a rental car

in my pocket a roll of twenty fifties, in my mind a simple plan

put it on evens, hold your nerve, be a richer man

in a diner in barstow i sat with my eggs and my keep-awake coffee

she came in wearing boots and a red dress, she sat by my side

through the make-up i saw her eyes go through me as i talked so fancy-free

and though she turned to another man, first she said to me: 

nothing is easy, don’t look for fair

nothing is easy, not if you care

you ain’t some kid in junior high school

no one will run if you fall

yeah I know all about easy

and nothing’s easy at all

i got back on the road, i pulled the roof down, got the radio playing 

some fine country songs, but i could not shake the words she had said

and that night as the wheel spun round before me, i saw fear in a hundred eyes

i weighed a world of weary odds, and knew she was right. 

            nothing is easy…

now it’s twenty years on, and i’ve won and i’ve lost more than i care to think of

given everything away too lightly in love and in life and work

i’ve been beaten and burned, but the wheel’s still spinning, and i’ve seen a thing or two

but there’s only one sure thing i’ve heard that i know is true

            nothing is easy…

written by tom yates 21 march 2016