Don’t want them, need them
Got a neighbor on the left with his yard signs everywhere One on the right who thinks my grass is too damn high to bear Tom across the street plays Skynyrd way too loud at night And Susan’s dog keeps digging up my garden — ain’t that right? I dream about a cabin where there’s no one else around Just me and forty acres and the peace I never found
‘Cause neighbors got opinions that I don’t wanna hear They vote for different people, drink the wrong kind of beer They handle their conflicts in ways that make me twitch Sometimes I think about it… and I swear…
I don’t want neighbors, but I need ’em They’re a pain in my behind I don’t want neighbors, but I need ’em They’re the mirrors that I find They rub me wrong, they test my patience, show me who I really am I don’t want neighbors, but I need ’em Learning how to be one, damn
Janet borrowed my best chainsaw, brought it back without the gas Tom’s still cranking “Free Bird” like he’s playing to the back of the class Property line disputes and barking dogs at 3 AM Sometimes I fantasize about living where there’s no more of them
But then I think about my Wayist teacher saying with a grin “The friction is the point, Chuck — that’s where the work begins”
‘Cause last year when my truck died and I needed a jump at dawn Tom was there in his pajamas with his cables, helping me along Same fool who rattles my windows every Friday night
And when my kid got sick — real sick — middle of the night Susan drove us to the ER, stayed there holding tight The same woman whose dog tears up everything I plant
When you’re in deep shit at 2 AM It ain’t your ideology that matters in the end It’s who shows up… with jumper cables… or a hand…
So yeah, Tom still plays that Skynyrd way too loud for me And Janet’s political bumper stickers make me want to flee Susan’s dog still digs my yard up every chance he gets But I’m learning how to neighbor — and damn, that part is hard They hold up mirrors I don’t always want to see Show me where I’m stubborn, where I lack community
I don’t want neighbors, but I need ’em They’re a thorn in my side, it’s true I don’t want neighbors, but I need ’em They teach me what I need to do Build something bigger than my fence and my pride I don’t want neighbors, but I need ’em Learning how to stand alongside
Still dream about that cabin in the woods… But I’d probably miss the potlucks…