When I was a young man, I had to kick and scratch and claw   Now it's like top gun in the Old West, everybody wants me to draw   If I had known it would be like this I might have given it a second thought   But if someone had told me to give it up, it's a line that I wouldn't have bought      Look at me   I'm the great white hope   Can't you see   I'm up against the ropes   Don't you know   It's so hard to cope   When you feel   Like the great white hope      Now you've paid your money you're sitting in your ringside seat   And I know that some of you out there, might wanna see the champ get beat   If I had known it would be like this I might have given it a second thought   But real life sure isn't like school, there's some lessons that just can't be taught      Look at me   I'm the great white hope   Can't you see   I'm up against the ropes   Don't you know   It's so hard to cope   When you feel   Like the great white hope