I wrote and recorded this song for my album Growing Old – Songs from my Front Porch a few years ago. At the time, I felt that the political climate in the United States was deteriorating. The nation’s long‑held ideals—Hope, Freedom, and Liberty—seemed to be eroding day by day. Dying By Inches emerged from my deep unease and dismay at what I believed was unfolding. Now, in 2026, I wish I could say the situation has improved. However, anyone looking at events in the United States with an impartial eye can see that the opposite appears to be true. I’ve recently begun performing the song live again, and it resonates more strongly now than it ever did. I’ve never previously released an older track as a current single, but I feel compelled to do so with this one, given the times we’re living through and the message at its heart.

I’m dying but no-one really knows Spoke to the chaplain – told him “Here’s a bag, bury me in these clothes Well, I have no faith in this world Nothing is sacred – Nothing is fair”

Spoke to the DA and he felt the same “I fought all my life for goodness But everything it’s now changed Well, I remember a time way before When everything felt so different and life wasn’t so poor”

Well, I saw a light held up high in the sky Of a statue of a woman by the port And I think of the dreams that my father once had Laid wasted or just plain ignored

Well, I have no faith in this world Nothing is sacred nothing seems fair

Well, I saw that light held up high in the sky And it seemed just a little bit dimmer to me And I think of those people who sailed to this port With the belief they’d find hope and liberty We’re dying but we don’t really know