25 Years on the Road

[Verse 1]
Twenty-five years on the road
Looking for that mother lode
I thought that it would be
Back in 1963
When the early seeds were sowed

[Verse 2]
When I got my first guitar
Learned three chords and how to bar
Wrote a verse in couplet rhyme
Sang it straight in four-four time
And went looking for my star

[Chorus]
Within a year I'd be a name
Up there in the Hall of Fame
Tennis court and swimming pool
'Cause that's what happens as a rule

[Verse 3]
I travelled far, I travelled wide
From the Thames up to the Clyde
Lonely hours on midnight trains
Wishing they were aeroplanes
On the nights when I had died

[Verse 4]
I opened shows for all the stars
I heard their stories in the bars
How one day it all comes true
And it'll happen, son, to you
But first you have to earn the scars

[Chorus]
Within two years you'll be a name
Up there in the Hall of Fame
Tennis court and swimming pool
'Cause that's what happens as a rule

[Verse 5]
And I had so much to say
Recording contracts came my way
They said they loved 'em from the heart
They loved 'em better in the chart
Pretty soon I'd had my day

[Verse 6]
So when 30 came around
I was searching for a sound
They could play on radio
So FM jocks in stereo
Would be praising what'd they found

[Chorus]
Within five years I'd be a name
Up there in the Hall of Fame
Tennis court and swimming pool
'Cause that's what happens as a rule

[Verse 7]
But summers come and summers fly
Now, you see me driving by
I'm on the road at 2 A M
I'm heading homeward once again
One more gig and one more try

[Verse 8]
Hope I'll turn 50 with a smile
Still loving every single mile
On this road forever more
Doing what I'm living for
Doing what I know's worthwhile

[Chorus]
And in ten years I'll be a name
Up there in the Hall of Fame
Tennis court and swimming pool
'Cause that's what happens as a rule

[Verse 9]
And there's no fool like an old fool
Still dreaming of that swimming pool
'Cause that's what happens as a rule
And there's no fool like an old fool