The Price To Play

There was once a brave young man

And he had a magnificent plan

He planned to rock our very minds

But required himself to make one of those special finds

He had to find that magic hour

To bestow himself with such a gift or power

But when he did, oh, such a deep sound

He'd feel it in his heart; what he sought, he'd found

He walked back into the room one night

There were but ten or so in sight

But for that ten, he'd play until his fingers said

He'd done something special enough that he'd moved the dead

To the floor they all went

Bodies moving and shaking until they were spent

Smiles on all their hearts and faces

That was now one of those special places

Night after night, he played that sweet savage sound

Bringing people from hundreds of miles around

None of them knew the tale of his song

Or why he'd disappeared for so long

Then the tune changed for his private reason

As if it changed with the coming of a new season

But the words, they're what haunted them all

While they danced, and shook, and had a great ball

A talent like that doesn't come without cost

And seeking out his new power had left him lost

Instead of time and sacrifice to become the best

He'd taken a shortcut like so many of the rest

A visit to a place he'd heard about in books and dreams

A place more real than he imagined, or so it seems

And with that one stop, it did not all fall

He'd have to return for three nights and make the same call

Give unto me the power to make them all know my name through song

An ask with a reasonable price, until he was wrong

The tab would have to be paid

For all the soulful music he'd played

As time drew near

They could hear it with an attentive ear

The hounds were on his tail

They were not dogs that knew how to fail

A devil at the crossroads doesn't need a gun

And all the debtors try to run

But not this woe-filled one in the end

When it all changed, he had but one friend

As the hounds finally caught him with it in his hand

He chose to play one final song as he made his last stand

For it's the devil at the crossroads that will take your soul

Don't mistake his kindness as he fills your bowl

Don't take the easy way to fame and glory

Be genuinely the best, make that your story