Thirteen years ago I sat there just like you Watching someone sing me a song Tellin' me that freedom was right in my hands If I just had the strength And the nerve to take it on The nerve to take it on I was 22, married with a nice executive smile A briefcase and a job I could not stand A sportscar to take me Every night to the nearest bar And I get so damn drunk I could not stand So drunk I could not stand Power, the beauty And the truth in the words Of a man as yet I'd never talked to Helped me to face myself And the life I was living Get off your a** son You've got some things to do You've got some things to do Well I crossed the line in April 1967 And I left a wife crying in the sunshine I had always wanted To fly twice the speed of sound And I did And I'll tell you I got off every time Yes I got off every time Well I moved on down to Nashville Sleeping on the floors Living like a dog And getting God damned I was doing what I do Anytime that I wanted to And no one every said to me to get up And get to town Get up boy - get to town You see, for a lifetime my father worked a job He could not stand and he hated every day And I watched him die slowly One TV show at a time And I've sworn that I'll burn Before I die that way Before I die that way And now there's one thing That I will say unto your soul And it is to yourself always be true Yes life isn't easy Anyway you can make it And if I can do it, well man so can you Man, so can you Eighteen years ago I sat there just like you Watching someone sing me a song Tellin' me that freedom was right in my hands If I just had the strength And the nerve to take it on The nerve to take it on