Directions
Mike Cross Lyrics

I was new in town, I just pulled in
The singer is a newcomer in town and has just arrived.

I was lookin' for the house of a dear old friend
The singer is searching for a friend's house that holds sentimental value.

But just how to reach the place
The singer is uncertain about how to locate the friend's house.

Was still a question
The artist is still unsure about the directions to follow.

So I stopped an old man on the street
The artist seeks assistance from a random old man on the street.

I said "Hey sir, excuse me please,\nBut I wonder if you'd give me some directions
The singer politely requests the old man to give them directions.

I told him the address and he said "Yes,\nI know what you want to do\nBut I'm a little fuzzy-minded part of the time\nSo let me think this through."
The old man is unsure but willing to give the singer directions, although he is not always clear-headed.

He began to mumble and scratch his chin\nThen he snapped his fingers, gave me a grin,\nAnd said "Ok son, here's all you gotta do:
After some contemplation, the old man comes up with the directions and enthusiastically shares them with the artist.

Well I did what he said as best I could\nAnd I thought I was doin' pretty darn good\nI'd made every turn except the final one
The artist follows the old man's directions but misses the last turn leading to the friend's house.

But when I made the last turn on the drive\nI swear I couldn't believe my eyes\nI was right back at the place I'd started from!
When the artist takes the last turn, they become disoriented and end up back where they started.

And there by the curb, feedin' the birds\nWith a smile upon his face\nWas that old man whose directions began\nMy recent wild goose chase
The old man who gave directions to the singer is standing on the street, feeding birds, and appears content.

So I went up to him, I said "Hey friend,\nCould you give me those directions again?"
The artist approaches the old man and requests directions again.

He said "Sure, here's all you do\nTo reach the place:
The old man agrees to provide directions a second time.

Oh but that's just what I did" I said,\n"But I wound up back here instead\nOf gettin' to the place I wanna find\nAnd since I'm right here all I can say\nIs that there must be some other way\nTo take me to the place I had in mind."
The singer expresses frustration with following the old man's directions as they did not lead to the intended destination.

He said "No, the way you go\nIs the way I told you to\nAnd if this ain't where you wanna be\nWell there's nothin' I can do\n'Cause that address you gave to me\nIs right over there across the street\nI can get you to here but the rest is up to you."
The old man insists that the directions he provided were correct and that the fault lies with the singer for not following them properly. He provides information about the friend's house's location and leaves the rest up to the singer to figure out.

Goin' north take a left on south Right Street\nGo up the hill to Down Avenue\nTurn left at the corner of Circle Square\nThen right onto left Wood Lane\nTake the lefthand fork at Spooner Road\nThen Easy Avenue to Arton Boulevard\nTurn back to the left onto right Front Street\nIt's right down there on your left!!!
The old man repeats the directions for the friend's house, which the artist must follow to reach their destination.