My Eyes

I ran into an old friend the other day
It had been years since I’ve shook his hand
He mentioned that I’m starting to show some grey
I laughed and mentioned he had a crooked stand

He looked at me and said something had changed
He asked if I still chased those thieving crooks
I nodded and joked how the chase delivers more pain
He said no, your eyes have a different look

My eyes, my eyes have seen the stains on a thousand lives
My eyes, my eyes have forgotten the feeling of tears
I’ve seen the horrible ends of guns and knives
I guess my eyes are the victims of many violent years

My eyes, my eyes no longer scan a crowd and just see commotion
They no longer look down a dark alley and feel afraid
My eyes, my eyes no longer show much human emotion
I guess my eyes are the victims of old prices paid

As my friend and I spoke I realized he wasn’t anyone I knew
Through my eyes I saw him as some kind of perfect stranger
Though he had the same smile and his eyes were just as blue
He’d some how been changed through my world fraught with anger

As we looked back over our lives and the course of our time
I discovered that I’ve lived in two separate worlds
I first lived as a boy, oblivious to all surrounding crime
Then thirty years a cop, the deeds of the devil have unfurled

My eyes, my eyes have seen the stains on a thousand lives
My eyes, my eyes have forgotten the feelings of tears
I’ve seen the horrible results of guns and knives
I guess my eyes are the victims of many violent years

My eyes, my eyes no longer scan a crowd seeing just commotion
They no longer look down a dark alley and feel afraid
My eyes, my eyes no longer show much human emotion
I guess my eyes are the victims of old prices paid