this song was so my dad. yeah. my dad could make something out of nothing. he could SEE something when others saw NOTHING. i swear he could. he could go into a kitchen that seemed to have nothing and make something cool, and a child would think they were eating something the kings do! he was optomistic to a fault. he helped so many down and outters with just a dollar or two, and raised his glass to many of them i'm sure! he lived for the day that's for sure. he was so incredibly contagious. he was beautiful to look at...charming. i wasn't the only one to think that. he would immediately grab the attention of everyone in the room until the day he died almost. when he opened his mouth to talk, everyone wanted to hear what he was going to say...expecting anything. he would call me "baby doll", "princess", "china doll", "daddy's angel", and a variety of other pet names. the zoo was like a wild african adventure. a child would think they were there! helping dad work on the car was like being asked to go on vacation! he made it so fun. he was the one that would see a "diamond rock" in a chip of sandstone. if he even held my hand, i knew i was being held...tightly. he would take us to thanksgiving dinner at the mess hall and i was like the princess of the ball. he was beautiful. he was brilliant. he was imperfect. HE LOVED ME.

Ships That Don't Come In lyrics

I could tell he'd had a tough life
By the way he sat and stared
And me, I'd come to push and shove
So I pulled up a chair.

We talked of roads untraveled
We talked of love untrue
Of strings that come unraveled
We were kings and kindred fools
And just when I'd hit bottom
That old man raised his glass
And said at least we had our chances
There's those who never have.

So here's to all the soldiers
Who have ever died in vain
The insane locked up in themselves
The homeless down on Main
To those who stand on empty shores
And spit against the wind
And those who wait forever
For ships that don't come in.

He said it's only life's illusions
That bring us to this bar
To pick up these old crutches
And compare each other's scars
'Cuz the things we're calling heartache
Hell, they're hardly worth our time
We ***** about a dollar
When there's those without a dime.

And as he ordered one last round
He said I guess we can't complain
God made life a gamble
And we're still in the game.

So here's to all the soldiers
Who have ever died in vain
The insane locked up in themselves
The homeless down on Main
To those who stand on empty shores
And spit against the wind
And those who wait forever
For ships that don't come in.