I can still remember when I bought my first guitar
Remember just how good the feeling was, put it proudly in my car
And my family listened fifty times to my two song repertoire
And I told my mum her only son was gonna be a star
Bought all the Beatles records, sounded just like Paul
Bought all the old Chuck Berry's, 78's and all
And I sat by my record player, playin' every note they played
And I watched them all on TV, makin' every move they made
Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life
All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moon-lit summer nights
I was so busy in the back room writin' love songs to you
While you were changin' your direction and you never even knew
That I was always, just one step behind you.
'66 seemed like the year I was really goin' somewhere
We were living in San Francisco, with flowers in our hair
Singing songs of kindness so the world would understand
That the guys and me were something more than just another band
And then '69 in LA, came around so soon
We were really making headway and writing lots of tunes
And we must have played the wildest stuff we had ever played
The way the crowds cried out for us, we thought we had it made
Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life
All the crazy lazy young days, all the magic moon-lit nights
I was so busy on the road singin' love songs to you
While you were changin' your direction, and you never even knew
That I was always, just one step behind you
'71 in Soho, when I saw Suzanne
I was trying to go it solo, with someone else's band
And she came up to me later and I took her by the hand
And I told her all my troubles and she seemed to understand
And she followed me through London, through a hundred hotel rooms
Through a hundred record companies who didn't like my tunes
And she followed me when, finally, I sold my old guitar
And she tried to help me understand, I'd never be a star
Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life
All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moon-lit summer nights
And though I never knew the magic of makin' it with you
I thank the Lord for giving me the little bit I knew
And I will always be one step behind you
Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life
Singing out my love songs in the brightly flashing lights
And though I never knew the magic of makin' it with you
I thank the Lord for giving me the little bit I knew
Rock and roll, I gave you all the best years of my life
All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moon-lit summer nights
I was so busy in the back room writin' love songs to you
While you were changin' your direction, and you never even knew
That I was always, just one step behind you