MIDAS TOUCH
STORY
A story-song about a man with everything and nothing. The "midas touch" looks like a blessing until you realize the things you can turn to gold aren't the things that matter most. About the watch — detailed in gold leaf, inscribed in sincere appreciation — a man receives at the end of a working life, and the quiet, late realization that he traded his time for a trinket.
LYRICS
I met an old man the other day
He said, "Son, I’ve learned many lessons in life the easy way"
He shook his head and he started to smile and lit up a smoke
And said, "Boy, just sit in the sun for a while"
And then he spoke this story to me
And in those old grainy eyes it was clear the story was meant for me
Look at my lifetime, they say I should not complain
I had more material wishes, too many luxuries to name
My friends, they used to tell me, I was born with the midas touch
And being king of the hill back then, it meant so much
The years they passed me quickly, and business, it did well
If my life was lacking, surely no one could tell
But the day seemed a little colder, and the night seemed a little long
I knew a piece was missing, but I knew not where it belonged
Look at my lifetime, they say I should not complain
I had more material wishes, too many luxuries to name
My friends, they used to tell me, I was born with the midas touch
And being king of the hill back then, it meant so much
And then he mumbled something, I did not understand
But he reached in his pocket and he held out in his hand
A watch detailed in gold leaf with an inscription near the seal
With greatest appreciation to the all-time king of the hill
This is really all I have in this life I have lived
All things that I learned, I’d never learned to give
My friends, they used to tell me, I was born with the midas touch
And being king of the hill back then, it meant so much
Being king of the hill don’t really mean that much
CREDITS
Written and produced by Kelly Collins. Remixed & Remastered at Tidal Light Studios in Beaufort, SC, with sessions between the mountains of North Carolina, Asheville, Beaufort, and Nashville. Featuring contributions from a roster of incredible musicians wh
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