Wake up, my boy
Put on some clothes
And keep on going till you're dead or old
You see, life's about death and death's about life
Don't challenge the system, it ain't worth the strife
Speak up, my boy
Make yourself heard
You're just a vegetable when you don't say a word
You see, talking's the key, listening's overrated
There ain't nothing to hear but politics and radio
Start reading those books, boy
Get yourself learned
Use your time wise, though you've plenty to burn
You see, you read while you're young and write when you're old
Take the knowledge you're forced, only play when you're told
Drink up, my boy
Rum, rum, rum, rum, rum
You're too young to worry, yet too old for fun
You see, advice can only take you so far in life's fight
But take a few shots and you're set for the night
Take the train downtown
Sport some nice clothes
And don't stop working till you're dead or old
You see, all work and no play makes you a rich boy
Spend the big bucks and show off your toys
Find a girl, my boy
And make her your wife
Make sure you get along well, 'cause, well, you're stuck for life
You see, love ain't that important, it's just what they say
Just find a good bitch who won't get in the way
Have a son, my boy
Pass on the name
Forget blocks and letters, raise him for fame
What he wants don't matter, take it from me
'Cause you ain't worth a damn without a legacy Finally, my boy
You got time to rest
Till boredom or sickness leads you to death
You got the freedom that you yearned for as a child
But your smile's gone; you're too old and tired
So you sit in your wheelchair
At the end of the hall
Drooling on your bib and wondering how it all
Went by so
Fast
Well, I'll tell you, my boy
I just found out myself
We wrote our lives in chapters on scattered shelves
You see, life ain't in paragraphs, phrases or words
It's in every single letter of one big book
It's all you've ever seen
All you've ever dreamed
All you've cried for, laughed for,
Shouted and screamed
For
And you ask, my boy
"What's it all mean?
The crying, the laughing, those fleeting dreams?"