A Little Bit

I asked a bearded wise man

How to make love last forever,

“Lean over as close as you can”

He said, “and don’t forget what I say, not never!”

“Love come and love goes

And how to make it stay

Well, now one really knows

But listen, listen to what I say

“You’ve got to give a little bit,

Give a little bit every day,

Give from your heart, that bottomless pit,

And you’ll find a little bit goes a long way.”

I thought that loyalty might be the key

To unlock the treasures of happiness

For the likes of you and me

And to open the door to endless bliss.

The wise man said that would help all right,

Because being true is more than a fad,

But our love will last way beyond sight

If we will just listen to what he said,

“You’ve got to give a little bit,

Give a little bit every day,

Give from your heart, that bottomless pit,

And you’ll find a little bit goes a long way.”

“What about truth and honesty,

Those priceless virtues of the heart,

Don’t they shed light on eternity,

Don’t they show the best place to start?”

He said, “Those things are dandy and fine

But you’re shooting way beyond the mark

You’ve got to keep it simple son, keep it in line

And pay attention when I speak son, hark

“You’ve got to give a little bit,

Give a little bit every day,

Give from your heart, that bottomless pit,

And you’ll find a little bit goes a long way.”

I came down from the mountain

Eager to tell you of my find

To show you I drank from the fountain

To tell you what was on my mind

But as I opened my mouth to speak

You preempted me, keeping me in line

“Don’t be offended” you said, “be meek

Because the truth isn’t hard to find.

“You’ve got to give a little bit,

Give a little bit every day,

Give from your heart, that bottomless pit,

And you’ll find a little bit goes a long way.”

October 1991