20 Harry Chapin Quotes on Life

Harry Chapin quotes on life

5. Music was his life, it was not his livelihood, And it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good. And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul. He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

9. You know I need a dream Like I need my breath We need to take the life Before we get the death You know I need your love Like I need the light Yes I need the chance Can it be tonight?

17. 'I am the midnight watchman down at Miller's Tool and Die. And I watch the metal rusting, and I watch the time go by. A week ago at the diner I stopped to get a bite. And this here lovely lady she sat two seats from my right. And Lord, Lord, Lord she was alright. Oh she was so damned beautiful that she'd warm a winter's frost. But she was long past lonely, and well nigh unto lost. Now I'm not much of a mover, or a pick-em-up easy guy, But I decided to glide on over, and give her one good try. And Lord, Lord, Lord she was worth a try.'

24. All my life's a circle; Sunrise and sundown; Moon rolls thru the nighttime; Till the daybreak comes around.

25. All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by.

26. No straight lines make up my life; And all my roads have bends; There's no clear-cut beginnings; And so far no dead-ends.

33. But the little boy said... 'There are so many colors in the rainbow So many colors in the morning sun So many colors in the flowers and I see every one.'

38. Now if a man tried To take his time on Earth And prove before he died What one man's life could be worth, Well I wonder what would happen to this world.

40. And if our future Lies on the final line Are we brave enough To see the signals and the signs?

41. If we say that no one's out there And we say we're goin' nowhere And we avoid the question Is this all that it means?

53. The people ran into the street but by then all was still The rock seemed where it always was or where it always will be When someone asked where he had gone they said: 'Oh he was daft. Who cares about that crazy fool.' And then they'd start to laugh.

60. And we would play together, like fine musicians should, And it would sound like music, and the music would sound good. But in real life I'm stuck with that same old formula, me and my monophonic symphony, six string orchestra.

63. And the wind will whip your tousled hair, The sun, the rain, the sweet despair, Great tales of love and strife. And somewhere on your path to glory You will write your story of a life.

64. And all the trips you know you missed And all the lips you never kissed Cut through you like a knife. And now you see stretched out before thee Just another story of a life.

65. Now sometimes words can serve me well Sometimes words can go to hell For all that they do. And for every dream that took me high There's been a dream that's passed me by. I know it's so true And I can see it clear out to the end And I'll whisper to her now again Because she shared my life. For more than all the ghosts of glory She makes up the story, She's the only story Of my life.

69. You see, she was gonna be an actress And I was gonna learn to fly. She took off to find the footlights, And I took off for the sky. And here, she's acting happy, Inside her handsome home. And me, I'm flying in my taxi, Taking tips, and getting stoned, I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.

74. I guess it's a sequel to our story From the journey 'tween heaven and hell With half the time thinking of what might have been and half thinkin' just as well. I guess only time will tell.

86. It was the town that made America famous. The churches full and the kids all gone to hell. Six traffic lights and seven cops and all the streets kept clean. The supermarket and the drug store and the bars all doing well.

89. He rolled on up in the fire truck And raised the ladder to the ledge Where me and my girl and a couple of kids Were clinging like bats to the edge. We staggered to salvation, Collapsed on the street. And I never thought that a fat man's face Would ever look so sweet.

94. 'There's been a lot of talk about 'How can we fill Harry's shoes?' The answer to that is that the challenge of Harry's life was NOT one of 'following in his footsteps' or 'filling his shoes.' The challenge is in filling our OWN shoes: We carry on Harry's work not just because we loved and admired him. We do so because it is the proper work of us all.' ~ James Chapin