Everyone said you'll grow up like your old man and be a junky
Everyone said you'll sign it all away at the bottom of the page
Everyone said you'll be down with the street drinkers
That woman and the bonhomme
Vanity and self-pity the curse of the modern age
And nobody said you'll make your own life a statement
With a diamond crucifix and a bottle on your arm
And nobody said they wait at temple for you to be a pilgrim
What we do to children we do to tomorrow
Pass that on
Everyone says you got the bars to be a poor man
Everyone says that they don't like what you do and how you play
Everyone said you've not been schooled enough for wisdom
But where's the wisdom in the things you dare to say
And everyone said you'll sit in a car park like a vampire
Nobody said there'll be fine words in your secret song
And nobody said in a small town you can't see the distance
First love your brother then the world
Pass that on
And everyone's telling each other lies about what they were doing
You complain when it's over
But you live it like a long stretch of time
And everyone said your're a liar with ya needle and a typewriter
And I'll do your job music critic if you can do mine
By a fire you know loves forever life's just a while
I ain't here to make friends being young it don't last long
And I painted the words that your hear on the maternity wall
Free man from himself
Pass that on