The Well-Travelled Man

Seems so many years now since he set off down the road
 For the bright lights of the city and his story to unfold
 No strings, no family plans, no ties to hold him down
 His first avowed intent, to leave this dormitory town
 At first, he lay just dreaming till he hit upon a plan
 To be a true civilian and a well-travelled man
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 His father told him: "Listen son, the world lies at your feet
 Great lands of opportunity and strangers all to meet"
 So seize the day, go make your mark,
 'cause fortune loves the brave
 So many places to be seen
 Before you see your grave
 See the stars shoot over Cape Town
 Where the oceans all converge
 Ride the desert train at midnight
 Even sail the universe
 Gather round, come one, come all
 Listen best ye can
 Raise a glass and give a cheer
 You can see all at once he's a well-travelled man
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 That long and dusty trail, it ran to anywhere but home
 Dined equally with pagan chiefs and emperors of Rome
 Through ages dark and winters long, lost in the strangest lands
 Through countless revolutions saw man's cruelty to man
 Been a butcher, been a saviour
 Been a friend you wouldn't choose
 Built temples and filled graveyards
 For the side that couldn't lose
 Would you walk with him as spirits
 In the quiet of the night
 And seek to have the power
 For to set the world to right?
 Gather round, come one, come all
 Listen best ye can
 Raise a glass and give a cheer
 You can see all at once he's a well-travelled man
 Gather round, come one, come all
 Listen best ye can
 Raise a glass and give a cheer
 You can say what you like, he's a well-travelled man
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 Seems so many years now since he set off all alone
 To see the wonders of this world, prove the stories he'd been sold
 Seeks the "milk of human kindness" and he takes it where he can
 From the yachts of Monte Carlo to a teahouse in Japan
 But now, he sits forsaken with a beer glass in his hand
 Won't anybody listen to the well-travelled man?