Hold your fire Don't shoot me I'm in need of a friend And I'm cold and seeking shelter from the storm Put aside your rifle Help me steer around the bend Help me find my way back to the road for home You see I'd grown my hair, I got my head all straight Went after the American dream But I always ended up outside looking in on someone's scene I was raised on hope and plastic carrot strung out right before my face I chased every pretty woman looking my way twice but they all disappeared without trace I've been shoved around from town to town it came so naturally I've been stopped and searched maybe fourteen times on my way from A to B I've been pointed at by children while I was sleeping in the park And I was heading home rejected when I scared you in the dark Hold your fire Don't shoot me I'm in need of a friend And I'm cold and seeking shelter from the storm Put aside your rifle You could see me there at every happening with my album by the Byrds I was shown how to question the great "I Ching" but I could dig some of the words I've smoked a ton of marijuana, I sat crossed legged till my legs went numb I made peace signs at the farmers when they called me a no good bum
I've read p**nographic literature and I've studied the underground press I had given my all to Krishna who I was told would not take less I spent three weeks making necklaces from oriental beads They were stolen by my guru while I was high on glory seeds Hold your fire Don't shoot me I'm in need of a friend And I'm cold and seeking shelter from the storm Put aside your rifle See I'd taken to wearing sandals and I'd given up watching T.V. I was rolling up gra** in the American flag and I was sick from snorting "C" I blew my mind out on a trip one night and I ran all the way back to town But the minute I saw the lights in their faces I freaked and turned right around Well my skin turned yellow and my eyes sunk back from my diet of boiled brown rice I would shuffle past bright warm houses to my groove pad cold as ice I've been beaten down and busted and I've wound up on my own And there's nothing left that buzzes me so I'm returning home Hold your fire Don't shoot me I'm in need of a friend And I'm cold and seeking shelter from the storm Put aside your rifle