Generation Blues

Down in the basement of an empty house
 Selling darkness is an easy pitch
 Passing a torch, long-burned out
 Hoping nobody flips the switch
 Cold cinders in my hands, cinders in my pockets
 God help me, I remember the flame
 Well, the warmth of the embers was gone when I got it
 But I got it just the same
 It's just too far to go in these hand-me-down shoes
 Generation blues
 Well, my father was a general pain in the ass
 And I was a private disgrace
 I must've huffed a lot of chemicals polishing the brass
 'Cause I never could act my age
 Yeah, choir boys, flyboys, look-you-in-the eye-boys
 Talkin' how the war was won
 A black and white photo of the soda pop king
 Grinning like a son of a gun
 And it's just too far to go in these hand-me-down shoes
 Generation blues
 Angels fly but a saint's gotta walk
 Gotta wake up in the morning and choose
 Take a little sugar, take a little salt
 Go make it on the avenue
 I got a key in my hand, a key in my pocket
 Looking for a room with a view
 Well, the doors unhinged and there ain't no lock
 And no telling now who's coming through
 It's just too far to go in these hand-me-down shoes
 Generation blues
 Well, the trash got tossed while I was sleeping
 Look what these kids can do
 What's lost wasn't worth the cost of keeping
 So let's just start anew
 I got nothing in my hands, nothing in my pockets
 I threw away the little that's left
 Well, if you ain't tried it don't try to knock it
 There's better things up ahead
 It's just too far to go in these hand-me-down shoes
 Generation blues