See him wasted
on the sidewalk
in his jacket
and his jeans
Wearin' yesterday's
misfortunes like a smile
Once he had a future
full of money love
and dreams
Which he spent like they
was goin' outta style
And he keeps right
on a changin'
for the better
or the worse
Searchin' for a shrine
he's never found
Never knowin' if believin'
is a blessin' or a curse
Or if the goin' up
was worth the comin' down
He's a poet and
he's a picker
He's a prophet
he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and
a preacher and a problem
when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction
partly truth and
partly fiction
Takin' every wrong direction
on his lonely way back home
He has tasted good and
evil in your bedrooms
and your bars
And he's traded
in tomorrow for today
Runnin' from his devils
Lord and reachin'
for the stars
And losin' all he's
loved along the way
But if this world
keeps right on turnin'
for the better or the worse
And all he ever gets
is older and around
From the rockin'
of the cradle
to the rollin'
of the hearse
The goin' up was
worth the comin' down
He's a poet and
he's a picker
He's a prophet
he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and
a preacher and a problem
when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction
partly truth and
partly fiction
Takin' every wrong direction
on his lonely way back home