James Taylor — Line Em Up

I remember Richard Nixon back in '74 And the final scene at the White House door And the staff lined up to say good-bye Tiny tear in his shifty little eye He said, "Nobody knows me Nobody understands These little people were good to me Oh I'm gonna shake some hands Somebody line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Want you to line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up" Ah at that time my heart was all broke I looked like ashes and smelled like smoke And I turned away from my loving kind Tried to leave my body and live in my mind But it's much too much emotion To hold it in your hand They've got waves out on the ocean They gonna wear away the land I say line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Want you to line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up ah Oh, I've seen corn in Kansas And I've seen picket fences And certain cowboy dances I've gone lining up for shows I've been safely placed in rows Sure I know how it goes Another day goes by, little time machine I'm raking my brain over what it might mean Just to claim the time and to turn away Make today today Who waits for you, lonely tired old toad? It's your life laid out before you Like the broken white line Down the center of the doggone road Line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Easy just to line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Yeah, big moon landing People all standing up Smile for the loved ones They go walking on down the aisles Each re-engages Stepping into the sun I watch them turn like pages One by one by one Somebody line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Line 'em up, line 'em all up Want you to line 'em up, line 'em all up Easy just to line 'em all up It works when you line 'em up, line 'em all up Can't you just line 'em up, line 'em all up