To The Artist Lyrics

This song is a letter sung
to a special friend of mine,
one who stopped his singing
somewhere back along the line.

I wondered if he'd had enough
of the rip-offs and the jive.
Did he sing a song one night
and lose the will to write?

It never was a business deal,
the thing with his guitar.
It always seemed more like a dance he did
deep down inside the heart.

Tonight I wonder if it's true,
like we felt it at the start:
an artist truly does it best
when he does it from the heart.

It seems to be much more than art
when the art you sell is you.
Be careful how you play the game
or else the game plays you.

In the old days we'd stay up all night
and laugh until we cried.
We said the songs don't belong to us,
we just bring some thoughts to light.

The rule of thumb was never give
the truth away to rhyme.Jerry Jeff Walker - To The Artist - http://motolyrics.com/jerry-jeff-walker/to-the-artist-lyrics.html
A man can't lie when he tries to sing;
it betrays him every time.

We really write to understand
more about ourselves,
and if we're lucky, maybe then
we'll touch somebody else.

I just got back from Europe, friend,
where they hung on every word.
It made me feel a little better
'bout my chosen line of work.

They asked me if I knew if you
wrote a lot these days.
I told 'em all I know is that
you rarely ever play.

We start out singing what we like;
we give it all away.
We wind up hating what we play
and go begging to be paid.

Let me say in closing, friend,
I want you to know
I understand how hard it was
to let your music go.

An artist must decide which parts
to leave in and take out.
And if he no longer plays the game,
that's what the game's about.