painting in a corner

i've been painting in a corner
colors are falling like spring rain
first they fill up my bucket
then they head down my drain
and i've been idly watching
there are people rushing by
everyone is acting busy
and i can't figure out why
first there was a Sunday
when i heard voices from the choir
they started out softly and low
but kept getting higher
and the singers smiled so brightly
the rafters began to shake
i saw their lips moving
but couldn't decide if it was real or fake
they looked at me like an old friend
i was offered a front row seat
it felt like the good times were rolling
but there was no one special to meet
and then came a busy Friday
when the working class grew tired
a damsel in distress said she knew me
but i didn't want to be hired
i was asked to carry her luggage
and i've been asked to tie her shoe
sometimes i knew the easy answer
sometimes i didn't know what to do
i wore my hat on a cold day
saw the sidewalks covered with snow
the traffic lights flashed their warning
i couldn't decide which way to go
i felt healthy at midnight
i felt sick as hell at noon
i imagine a garden full of ripe fruit
and i'll have to go there soon
every time i stopped to read a new book
a yellow bus came to offer a ride
an old man yelled that he could save me
but i always suspected that he lied.