CHEAP GAS
by Michael R. Clem
I passed the Fifty
both age and yardline
There’s chalk on the field
and dust that is real
on my chin line
My movements are slower
some have their own sounds
like grunts from the labor of standing up
and sitting down
but I’m not an old man
and I’m sure not a teen
Too old for backwards cap
but too young to be mean
OH, SAIL ME BACK TO MY OWN PAST
I’D SAY BUCKLE UP, MISTER
DON’T BE A SMART ASS
THERE’LL BE NO SPOILERS, NO SERMONS
(I PROMISE) NO BITTER MORASS
I’D JUST WISH ME GODSPEED
AND BUY SOME CHEAP GAS
I passed a checkup
but did not pass a stone
There’s some things I should do
and some others I should leave alone
I outlived my brother
I just turned fifty-one
There’s no darker day than to call folks to say
they’ve outlived a son
OH, SAIL ME BACK TO MY OWN PAST
I’D SAY BUCKLE UP, MISTER
DON’T BE A SMART ASS
THERE’LL BE NO SPOILERS, NO SERMONS
(I PROMISE) NO BITTER MORASS
I’D JUST WISH ME GODSPEED
AND BUY SOME CHEAP GAS
Said goodbye to John Prine
I was just saying hello
& picking on “Paradise”
and a few other classics I know
I hope he died smiling
like his songs made me grin
Got that song about Heaven
where I know my brother
is welcoming him
OH, SAIL ME BACK WHEN TIMES WERE GOOD
I’D SAY LISTEN UP, BUSTER
THERE’LL BE NO SPOILERS, NO SERMONS
(I PROMISE) NO BITTER MORASS
I WISH YOU ALL GODSPEED
ENJOY YOUR CHEAP GAS
I WISH YOU ALL GODSPEED
ENJOY YOUR CHEAP GAS
copyright 2026 J Fish Music