Said before you knew what it was like to be poor
Or maybe just poorly dressed
I was always trying to make a good time out of life
With the empress
But now I've been asleep at the switch, oh honey
Somehow I got the wound
I recognize that somebody had to do something soon
I was a rock in an island
Somewhere near the Cote d'Ivoire
I could not deny the crabs
But baby, they ain't here no more
So many tricks that you trade on
So much makeup to cover the pall
I gather you are here and all
But rock and roll just can't recall
Said that she was someone that you used to know
Or maybe someone you used
I was down on my knees at the crossroads
So I suppose I've got no excuse
The scales have fallen from my eyes dear
Now I think I understand
So you can **** on water, that don't make you
A miracle man
I was a double agent on a submarine down on the Isle of Wight
I had the intelligence, but I never really was
All that bright so many tricks to turn on
You gotta walk before you can crawl
It might have been the Vietnam
But rock and roll just can't recall
Now these days I shiver, shake when I walk
And you can't bear to see me dance
My life's an antique of an experiment
And I blew the advance
What do we do with brother Mark?
You don't use soap in yourself
Maybe we still got the moves and the crooks but you ain't got the health
I raided and pillaged down on sunset
And I woke up on the beach
I was a ******* rhythm machine now the good life was in reach
So many tricks that you take on
You're left against the wall
Drop the needle and ramble on
And rock and roll just can't recall
Rock and roll just can't recall