"The Ladder"

If your days on earth are numbered
Count them on your hands
Then all the burdens you've been under
Disappear into quicksand (Yes and)
Let it be a witness to the hopeless in these times
You can lead a fool to the ladder
But you cannot make him climb

You can lead a drunk to the whiskey
It ain't hard to make him drink
And I've heard it said "A life sentence
Is a good long time to think"
But some folks just want a hand-out
Of my money and my time
You can lead a fool to the ladder
But you cannot make him climb

If your inner child is a bastard
And he promises a lie
People always tellin' you
Where you're going when you die
You talk but noone listens
They leave you far behind
You can lead a fool to some water
He'll try to turn it into wine

You can lead a drunk to the whiskey
It ain't hard to make him drink
And I've heard it said "A life sentence
Is a good long time to think"
But some folks just want a hand-out
Of my money and my time
You can lead a fool to the ladder
But you cannot make him climb

You can give until you've given
Everything you've got away
And dream of caterpillars
Who'll be butterflies one day
But you're livin' on a love
That was not repaid in kind
You can lead a fool to the ladder
But you cannot make him climb