Pay Us (how much we are worth)

Pay Us (how much we are worth)

Where do you run when you feel blue?
I bet, more often than not
you run to the tunes of ones who know you,
who understand just what you’ve got.

Supposin’ you need a prescription,
’cause that’s what you’ve been told
“I ain’t payin’,” you tell the physician -
Could you be so bold?

You could, I suppose, but likely you’d find
a summons in the mail.
The good physician’s got an axe to grind -
you might just end up in jail.

One thing you won’t (now) get in the post
is a bill from your favorite songwriter;
the one who has helped you get over the most
life-trials – who’s made you a fighter.

Was it an MD who soothed your soul
while standing beside a grave,
or the words of grace that filled the hole
penned by a sinner saved?

The words – those words that mean so much -
just how much are they worth;
the words of songs we use like a crutch
to guide us through life on this earth?

So the next time you hear a new song
on YouTube, it just might be me:
one of many soul physicians who long
to be paid for what you use free.

Marie-Therese Knepper