DUI: Disclosing Under the Influence

they ask me where i came from
and i keep a story handy in my pocket
i tell them of the stuff that gets me going
and a wee bit of that which makes me fret

i tell them of people i once knew
and of folks that are keepin' me afloat
then there's the polite and the perfunctory
like where i got the dough to pay for my coat

and there's some about the places i've been
throw in a little about things dusted an' done
the sights that i dream of and the songs that i sing
and how i came to believe that gods there are none

as the evening gets soaked in some fine spirits
it gets harder and easier as we drain the keg
harder to stand, easier to lie,'cause all of ya know
a lie's got no need for a goddamn leg

and from there on does the memory fade
the storyteller in me takes over, the stage is set
i find him telling me stories i'd never believe
kinda hard to believe what you see is what you get

as the dam closes on the stream for the day
and the lights are turned on all around
it's an eerie buzz in my ears and a cold wind in my face
that starts the guessing as suspicions merrily abound

i dig into that pocket of mine
the one that i keep my story in, ya know
what i come up with looks vaguely familiar
but oh um er, what have i done now

there's a story to be told, for sure
and it's mighty useful to have told it before
but the storyteller needs discretion in matters of lore
for the wrong tales told may well cause furore
and so tonight i let them get their foot in the door
darn him - for a month, i'm seeing that barman's face no more!