See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans   Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile   Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams   Which he spent like they was goin' outa style   And he keeps right on a'changin' for the better or the worse   Searchin' for a shrine he's never found   Never knowin' if believin' is a blessin' or a curse   Or if the goin' up was worth the comin' down      He's a poet, he's a picker   He's a prophet, he's a pusher   He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned   He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction   Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home      He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars   And he's traded in tomorrow for today   Runnin' from his devils, lord, and reachin' for the stars   And losin' all he's loved along the way   But if this world keeps right on turnin' for the better or the worse   And all he ever gets is older and around   From the rockin' of the cradle to the rollin' of the hearse   The goin' up was worth the comin' down      He's a poet, he's a picker   He's a prophet, he's a pusher   He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned   He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction   Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home   There's a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home