One Leg at a Time

By Richard E. Moore

This song was inspired by the buildup to the invasion of Iraq. Everywhere you went - TV news, coffeehouse discussions, etc., people were talking about "what the people of Iraq wanted". It seemed pretty obvious to me; they wanted to go the supermarket or the school or the doctor without getting blown up, kidnapped, or murdered. After all, I thought to myself, we're all pretty much the same. We're all human. We all put our pants on one leg at a time ... And thus this song was born.

i wake up
put my pants on
one leg at a time
put my boots on
wrap a belt around my waist
i wake up
brush my hair back again
my skin fits like a glove
covering what's inside me

this is how i start my day
this is how i start my day

but something's weighing heavy on my mind
yes something won't wash off these hands
it's burned into my eyes
all my childhood friends
either went away or died
well it's the same thing
when you're the one left behind

this is how we spend our day
this is how we spend our day

well you can take what you want
and not give back
or you can take only what you need
but a river flowing one way
will empty out
and a dam bleeds a forest dry
look around
see the faces
of all the people and the towns
they're dreaming as you roll by
this is how they spend their day
this is how they spend their day

they wake up
put their pants on
one leg at a time
put their boots on
wrap a belt around their waist
they wake up brush their hair back again
their skin fits like a glove
covering what's inside

this is how we start our day
this is how we start our day