From the recording Baobob
Lyrics
Ranier
On a cold rainy fall day the wind blew from the northwest. Ranier was walking out in the rain oblivious to the degree of wetness he was obtaining. He didn't care. He had many things on his mind. He had many concerns that he had little power to affect positively. He felt helpless. Afraid. Ranier was a man endowed with a lesser degree of intelligence. He didn't comprehend the complexities of lief like most men did. He hoped for the best outcome in everything but he did not realize that it was up to him to shape that outcome however he could. So he walked a lot when things were difficult. Lately they had been very difficult for him. His roof was leaking and the plaster in his bedroom was coming off the wall. The kitchen linoleum was filled with huge holes and his landlords sucked big time. On top of that his car was dying he had to get a new one but didn't know quite how to go about. This one had been given to him by Mr. Swanson who had taken care of Ranier and paid for his housing and food for the 20 years but he had died 5 months ago. And now Ranier was under the control of the city and state government. His case worker had been out of town for a couple of weeks. It was the first time he had been gone that long. So rainier walked. The rain continued to fall and the wind continued to blow and it continued to be a cold rainy fall day. Sometimes as the rain streamed down Ranier face it almost seemed like tears. It almost seemed like he had been crying.