Perfect Reason
Copyright 1989 Daniel E. Biemer
He was just a poor boy but he had himself a dream Through diligence and study he would find out everything Talk about it, laugh about it, no one else would care In a world of muddy thinking, he would be aware Had no friends in high school 'cause he thought that they were dumb Didn't go to football, and he didn't go to prom Got sent home from woodshop 'cause he didn't have the knack But somewhere in a dusty book he came upon a fact: Using the light of his perfect reason, he could learn anything Using the light of his perfect reason, he could know everything So he went to college at a fancy place out east Drank a lot of coffee and discussed philosophy Talked about it, laughed about it, classes were a joke Students there he thought were stupid, professors all such dopes Using the light of his perfect reason, he could know everything Using the light of his perfect reason, he could learn anything But sometimes he got lonely there living his life on his own And on Saturday nights he was trapped in his mind all alone He pursued his studies with vigor and finesse Careful observation and the educated guess Talked about it, laughed about it, still he had a goal Closer yet he came to knowing all there is to know Using the light of his perfect reason, he could know everything Using the light of his perfect reason, he could know anything But sometimes he got lonely there living his life on his own And on Saturday nights he was trapped in his mind all alone And the break with himself and the others was getting so wide It was likely he knew to continue the rest of his life But he kept pressing onward and he held his head up high Knew he might not make it but he knew he had to try Talked about it, laughed about it, but he was closing fast And soon the sum of human knowledge lay within his grasp Using the light of his perfect reason, he could know everything Using the light of his perfect reason, he could know anything And finally after years and years of thinking he was there He would've celebrated but he had no friends to care Stood on corners preaching the futility of man People gave him money but they didn't give a damn And so as of this moment he continues to exist Haunted by the feeling that there's something that he missed Talks and laughs a lot but there is no one there to hear Restlessly he walks the night and his only light is the light of his perfect reason.