Salt of the Earth

I met J.D. in a dive bar downtown Austin
fresh off the train from Milwaukee
inappropriately dressed for the Texas summer

he played drums in my friend Steve's band
and worked in the offices at the flagship Whole Foods store
he was from Buffalo and had been living in Austin for 9 years

we shared a few rounds of cocktails
and stepped out to the alley to smoke some weed while i told him my story
that i had no where to stay and was planning on crashing at the shelter
until i got on my feet

he said i was salt of the earth and could crash on his couch
that i could use him as a reference to get a job at the store
and he'd think about playing drums with me once i got settled

 we caught a cab back to his crib
smoked bong-rips and drank Icehouse
while we passed the acoustic guitar back and forth

i never really did settle into the town that second time around
but i stayed afloat
got the job
and he did play drums with me for a while
until i told him i was more of an artist than a musician

to which he replied
"well, i'll buy you a fuckin' canvas for your birthday
but i only play with musicians"

the best friends will tell you like it is
but they'll always lend a hand when you're in need