The Real Thing

He wore a song around his neck like some medal of honor
 Carried his wisdom, lucky knife
 An empty pocket was a temporary chain
 Knowing you've got it coming, ain't no crime
 Every blue note that rolled off his tongue
 You could feel his soul twisting right into
 Nobody knew where he came from
 Oh but everybody knew, everybody knew
 He was the real thing, no doubt about it
 The kind that you remember when they're gone
 The real thing put here for a reason
 We knew someday the whole world was going to know his name
 Yeah, he was the real thing
 She whispered in his ear and he heard the thunder
 Singing 'bout a world he never knew
 Head spinning 'round, he began to wonder
 Was he made to love her or born to sing the blues
 He searched inside him for the answer
 But all he found was a troubled mind
 He left her somewhere on the blue highway
 But it wasn't just another love that he left behind
 It was the real thing, no doubt about it
 The kind that you remember when he's gone
 The real thing, not like passion's fine
 But a burning, smoldering, oh, eternal flame
 And sometimes at night he longs for her whisper
 But he hides from the dawn
 'Cause he always wakes to find her gone
 In some broken down dressing room, in some major city
 The thunder plays an old familiar tune
 He spies the face of a distant angel
 Outside beneath the halo moon
 Finger on the trigger, needle in the vein
 One more bullet, it might be your last ride
 This is ain't no, no, show, this ain't no nervous breakdown
 And it sure as hell, ain't the time to let the fool decide
 This is the real thing, no doubt about it
 Who cares if they love you when you're gone
 This is the real thing, so you were put here for a reason
 But what gives you the right to quit when you're tired
 Anyway boy, this ain't no game
 This is the real thing
 He wore a song around his neck
 Like some medal of honor
 He carried his wisdom like a knife