John with the Golden Smile (to John Taylor)

John with his sparkling, shimmering eyes

is a little boy lost in a man

John, although grown-up and quite a success

is still in a fairy-tale land

John is a Tigger, if ever there was one,

yet with a deep tone in his voice,

John is a man and will prove it with grace,

and prefers manhood (given the choice)

But John still requires occasional parties

(as rock-n'-roll-types often do),

And at times he'll protest that he's doing what's best,

leaving others to argue what's true;

But when John really has to face up to himself,

he realizes that all the while,

John's always John with the sparkling eyes

and John with the golden smile

John sees himself as the noblest warrior,

base guitar ready in hand

and he sits at a table with 4 other dreamers,

the five of them making a band

And every night is the time of his life

as he does all he can for the crowd

But sometimes it's silence that John really likes

must the little girls be quite so loud?

It is then that he slips on another disguise

and finds him a silent retreat

And calls up the girlfriend or some chic acquaintance

and "how about we go out to eat?"

But when John has returned and is in for the night

he realizes that all the while,

John's always John with the sparkling eyes

and John with the golden smile

John fancies himself with fast cars and fast women,

and lives to be just like James Bond

Aston Martin, in gold - with a stripe if you please -

is John's car, of which he is quite fond

John has a dream to live up to his heroes

hence the fast pace he lives by

But John does have values and will not ignore them

although - once or twice - he may try

John has set out not to conquer the dragon 

but to rescue the princess so fair

And in bringing her back to us, carry the spirit

that will renew hope in the air

For though John is not perfect and sees that as truth,

he realizes that all the while,

John's always John with the sparkling eyes

and John with the golden smile.

- May 28, 1984, A.D.