On a wild trip
Don’t remember getting high
A world full of illusions
A psychedelic sky

In a taxi full of strangers
Swerving side to side
The driver’s old as Moses
What a crazy ride
There’s vodka in his thermos
Smokes and puffer at his side

Someone please wake me
None of this can be real
Is this only fantasy?
Can’t believe how strange I feel
My mind is begging me to run
My body enticed by its appeal

Dirty dancing cowboys
Running naked by the pool
I know there’s something wrong here
Yet I feel like the fool

A pale-eyed queen mother
Keeps the group in check
While a toad smokes marijuana
Doing back flips off the deck

Someone please wake me
None of this can be real
Is this only fantasy?
Can’t believe how strange I feel
My mind is begging me to run
My body enticed by its appeal

A beautiful green-eyed vampire
Smiles when she sees me
Nervous as she approaches
What could her intensions be?

She said, “You look uneasy”
“Everything will be alright”
“Relax and just enjoy yourself”
“I’ll be yours tonight”

I don’t know what to do
Numb in every way
I struggle hard to open my eyes
But part of me wants to stay

Seduced by this erotic place
I think I’ll leave another day

The song “A Wild Trip” came from visit  to a little town in eastern Ontario a while back that had quite a cast of characters in it. Some were unique to say the least, many of them quite humorous and entertaining to be around. As in many small towns, most of the locals had grown up together and knew each other very well. Some of their odd antics’ had just become commonplace; to the point where only an outsider like me would consider them strange. As I observed some of the people and actions that were happening at the time, I was most surprised by the way everyone just carried on. I felt like a kid in an amusement park for the first time, but everyone else had been there forever.

I think we’ve all heard the old adage, “fact is stranger than fiction” at least once or twice in our lifetime. It really is amazing some of the events we experience in life that are so strange, so unique, they’re actually believable. I mean, who could make this stuff up? I often wonder when I hear songs on the radio, especially ones with bizarre lyrics, what the artist was thinking at the time; what exactly are they referring to? As someone who has developed bit of a passion for writing lyrics, I know that every line and every word has some sort of meaning or purpose behind it; at least that’s been my experience. I throw in the odd word or phrase on occasion, but for the most part they are based on actual events or people. In many cases the song can take on a completely different meaning when the lyrics are explained and you’re made aware of what they actually mean to the writer. When I wrote “A Wild Trip” it would be easy to think I exaggerated some of the lines, and occasionally I did, but believe it or not; most of the lyrics actualy happened.

The first part of the song was based on a night I went to a local fair with a group of people from the area. None of us wanted to drink and drive, so the girls called a friend of theirs to be our designated driver. Much to my surprise, he agreed on a moment’s notice. It wasn’t such a surprise after the gentleman showed up however, and we had to help him up the stairs. This guy was so old he could barely see over the dash of his car; it was a miracle we made it there and back alive that night. He fumbled and swerved all the way to the fair trying to find his smokes; taking all the back roads with no lights or signs. I could only watch and laugh to keep myself from jumping out of the car. After every cigarette, the driver would reach down and grab his inhaler in order to help himself breathe. When someone offered to buy him something to drink at the fair, he politely declined and said he’d brought his own thermos; we were halfway home before we realized it was actually full of vodka.

It made me think afterwards that things are only strange if they are perceived as abnormal, but who are we to determine what’s “normal”. No one that night really seemed to think anything was out of the ordinary and just concentrated on having a good time. I thought of another adage that most of us have heard as well; “No harm, no foul”, which Wiktionary describes as “Encapsulation of the idea that although technically a breach of some code or law may have occurred, there is no need for punishment, apology, or retribution if no actual damage occurred”. I would agree our trip that night, as strange as it was, produced neither harm nor foul. However, I remember thinking; next time I’ll stick to my own version of normal… and just take a taxi.