Sitting alone on my hotel
Looking in the mirror wondering, "well,
After all this time you never thought youd still be out on the road? "
Like a gypsy I was born to roam
Like a wanderer with no fixed abode
I think about the friends Ive left behind on the road
Well, the roads been rocky along the way
Its been a long, hard haul on the motorway
But if it gets too smooth its time to call it a day
(on the road)
The bed and breakfasts and the greasy spoons
(the road)
The loser bars and the noisy rooms
(the road)
The casualties who did too many lines
(the road)
Wasted talent on women and wine
I think of all the friends Ive left behind
Whenever its time to get back out on the road
Started playing blues in a coffee bar
I took a trip down charing cross road
With my imitation gretsch guitar
And my head full of songs and my eyes full of stars
I saw a band called the rolling stones
I thought, "thats it, Ill get a band,
Im leaving home, Im out on the road."
The motorways all over this land
(the road)
Far away places like wigan and birmingham
(the road)
Didnt have no name, didnt have any fans
(the road)
Didnt have no money so we slept in the van
All those early gigs we ever played
Sometimes we were lucky if we even got paid
On the road
Pete played on the bass guitar
Liked to get around, mixing with all the stars
But mrs. avorys child was all fingers and thumbs
But solid as a rock, setting time on the drums
While dave the rave hit the rock n roll riffs
Yours truly strummed away with a slightly limp wrist
On the road
Everyday is when I cant get used to it
Everyday is when I cant get away
Another day, another freeway to face
Thats the road
Well, life is a road, its a motorway
And the road gets rocky along the way
But if it gets too smooth its time to call it a day
(on the road)
Jimi hendrix, the who, the led zeppelin and free
They took the road so its alright by me
Some are survivors, some are debris
If you play in a band thats the road that you take
Living in it, eating in it, sleeping in it
You wake up in the morning, what do you see?
The road
Life is a road, its a motorway
Lost a lot of good friends along the way
All the families and homes that Ive left behind
To the wives and the lovers and friends who had their time
I say, "you take your road and Ill take mine."
(you take your road and Ill take mine)
You take your road and Ill take mine
(you take your road and Ill take mine)
Life is a road, its a motorway
And the road gets rocky along the way
But if it gets too smooth its time to call it a day
(on the road)
Observed all the various phases from
Flower power, heavy metal and acid rock
And still all the critics keep saying
"are they still around? when they gonna stop? "
Its just the dedicated followers of fashion who like putting down
All the well respected men who came dancing and are still on the road
Sometime I get suicidal
Now everyone is a rival
Different cars, different bars and hotels
Corporations, big business and egos
When it all gets too bad I think back
When we were all each other had
When we started out on the road
And theres gas in my tank and Ive still got a way to go
Another hotel, its time to check out soon
As I look around the room
I think of all the friends Ive left behind
On the road
