No Easy Answers

You can't turn to the streets,
when you're running from the heat,
and there's no one there.
You can't look to the night,
for the strength to stand and fight,
because the night don't care.
I wish that I could help, 
but then I'm often trapped myself, 
with no place to turn.
About all we can do, 
is share the troubles we go through, 
and maybe then we'll learn -
There are no easy answers, 
to all of our questions.
No hard line rules 
and no blanket exceptions.
There's no book to turn to 
and no practice run through, 
in life.

You can try to run alone, 
try to live without a home, 
but it would be so hard
You just haven't got enough, 
and a winning hand is tough, 
when you're missing cards
I haven't got a cure, 
but there's one thing I know for sure, 
we all need someone
Someone to share the pain, 
to help you feel you've made a gain 
when each day is done.
There are no easy answers, 
to all of our questions
No hard line rules 
and no blanket exceptions
There's no book to turn to 
and no practice run through, 
in life

glenn hughes - 1986

The Story:
In 1986, I was living in Columbus, Ohio and going through a difficult time.
A good friend of mine was also going through her own problems. We used to sit and share our miseries over lunch.

On one particular bad day, she was debating whether she should stand and fight her problems, or turn and run away from them.
I had nothing particularly useful to say. I just leant an ear.
At one point, she asked me, "Don't you wish there was a book that told you what to do in every situation"? Then she shook her head and said, "But there are no easy answers".

And my tender, understanding response was - "That would make a great song title"!
So, I wrote the song that night (actually, this was one that wrote itself), and gave it to her the next day.

The Recording:
These recordings of "No Easy Answers" were done in 1990, in my bedroom studio (San Jose, California) as part of the "No Easy Answers" sessions.
Of course, I would like to do these over. I was experimenting with different versions, and never spent enough time to get any single version right.
The vocals are pretty embarrassing, but I think the song stands up pretty well though my mistakes.

The Lineup:
No Easy Answers Theme
Glenn Hughes - piano

No Easy Answers
Glenn Hughes - 
vocals, guitars, keyboards, 
bass and drum programming

No Easy Answers (acoustic)
Glenn Hughes - 
vocals, acoustic guitars, synthesizer

Final Word:
This has become my favorite song.
It touches on my common themes of friendship, communication, and strength.