The Ballad Of Me And Jones

Jones & I were classmates back when we were kids
He lived around the corner, had the same friends as I did
I traded my Marv Throneberry for his Yastrzemski and his Mays
Now he can’t believe what those baseball cards are worth these days

Jones & I ran neck & neck in almost every race
In every high school track meet we took first and second place
I’d have to say he’s faster now, but strictly off the cuff
Long gone are the days when I was trying to keep up

Jones went to the Ivy League & me I went to State
We got the same degrees, but they don’t carry the same weight
Jones, he climbs the ladder & he’s almost to the top
Me, I ride the elevator up & down & up & down & up & down & up...

And now I can only guess if I might ever cross Jones’ mind
Does he ever stop to wonder, does he ever look behind?
Me, I’m looking forward to that place around the bend
When we can catch up with each other’s lives like a couple of long-lost friends

Jones, he got married early on in life
He’s got beautiful children, he’s got a beautiful wife
And what more could I ask for than to know that kind of love
Well...maybe just one or two things from some of Jones’ stuff

Jones has all the gadgets, gets his electronic thrills
Remote control on everything in his house up in the hills
Me, I’m like that tortoise, carrying my shell
I keep on moving, but it’s sometimes hard to tell

And now I can only guess if I might ever cross Jones’ mind
Does he ever stop to wonder, does he ever look behind?
Me, I’m looking forward to that place around the bend
When we can catch up with each other’s lives like a couple of long-lost friends

At our 25th reunion, if Jones & I should meet
Over by the punchbowl with the dips & stuff to eat
I wonder how he’d take it, and the look upon his face
If I’d write my name & number on the back of Willie Mays