Ever since I was young,
I always thought I'd be the one
To save the world,
Or at least the girl
When I was just a boy of ten,
In my room I'd pretend I was Moses,
With rock star poses
I've been up and I've been down
I've been kicked all over town
The good things always
Slip right through my hand
Hey Charlie man, I coulda been a contender
Aw, I coulda been a contender
You see I always dreamed, I could fly,
Break through walls, had X-ray eyes
I would be the one,
Loved by everyone
And I still believe, be a way,
And I'll come back to save the day,
Be your hero babe,
And your heart I'll save
Things they didn't quite work out,
I became a slave of doubt
It felt like I was cursed among the damned
Hey Charlie man, I could have been a contender
Not like the pretender that I am
Through the years,
And through the maze,
I tried my best to change my ways,
Tried to become a better man
I screwed things up pretty good,
And anybody that even stood fairly close to me,
Became my enemy
Yeah, I hurt the ones I loved most,
I burned bridges from coast to coast,
I just didn't fit, I was an idiot
I've been weak and I've been strong,
I'll keep fighting all along,
These things I swear I'll never understand
Hey Charlie, man, I could have been a contender
Aw, I could have been a contender
Yeah, I could have been a contender
Not like the pretender that I am
I could have been something
I could have been amazing
I could have been incredible
I could have been legendary
Come on babe take me by the hand
I could have been a contender