Let me tell you ‘bout my old friend Vinnie, loved to play his piano giving joy to so many
He was funny and kind, with a demon or two, but when you live with the dead it attracts them to you
And the rug was pulled out and that world wasn’t kind, it was all too much, and it messed with his mind
Still he wanted so badly to return to that life, no, those people didn’t kill him, but they sold him a knife
And I never saw it coming… No, I never saw it coming…
I was standing too close, and I swear that I never saw it coming
Let me tell you about my bass player Stan, he was always smiling, he was called the Glad Man
He could lift up a room, he would light up a stage, but deep-down him inside was a simmering rage
We made beautiful music for three or four years, then he gave it all up couldn’t conquer his fears
And he put down his bass and became a bread baker, ‘til a 12-gauge barrel introduced him to his maker
And I never saw it coming… No, I never saw it coming…
I was standing too close, and I swear that I never saw it coming
Not one but two friends of mine then were gone, by the very same hands that made beautiful songs.
It’s a soul crushing feeling when you’re left there behind, picking up pieces, second guessing your mind.
There was nothing I could do, this is how it would be, but I really wasn’t ready for friend number three…
Let me tell you ‘bout my best friend Bob, he sold millions of records, never had a real job
He was the only damn reason that Stevie met Mac, and when he struck out alone, lord he couldn’t go back
He had glory, and riches, and it faded away, then his body was aching, and he called me to say
“I just want you to know that I love ya man” and the next day I saw them haul him off in a van
And I never saw it coming… No, I never saw it coming…
I was standing too close, and I swear that I never saw it coming
And I never saw it coming… No, I never saw it coming…
I was standing too close…
You can never understand when they do what they do, so be grateful for that or you’d think it good, too.
In memory of Vince Welnick, Stan Rawls, and Bob Welch…
Words and Music by Mike Lawson
© 2020 Psychotronic Music – BMI
From the album “More Wonders of the Visible World”