Longer Than You've Been Alive

we've been doing this longer than you've been alive
propelled by some mysterious drive
and they still let me do it as weird as that seems
and I do it most nights and then again in my dreams
infinite hallways in giant hotels
dressing room looks 'bout as good as it smells

bottles of whiskey bottles of beer
there's a bottle of medicine somewhere 'round here
we've been in nightclubs and we've been in bars
honky-tonks and theaters from Memphis to Mars
most of our shows were a triumph of rock
although some nights I might have been checkin' the clock

I'm only human though I'm super at times
I've jumped off of risers I should not have climbed
rock jumps won't kill you 'til one of them does
well they'll say he died doing what he loves
we got our share of lovin' in our past
although we were all lookin' for someone who'd last

well it must be hard to get partnered with me
some narcissism some O.C.D.
but love that comes easy's a fake or a fluke
love is a marathon sometimes you puke
speaking of which there has been alcohol
oceans and oceans but that isn't all
mountains of weed a handful of pills
none of the hard stuff that shit kills
we've been doing it longer than you've been alive
twenty good years of about twenty-five

rock and roll's been very very good to me
the open road's the only place I wanna be
rock and roll's been very very good to me
the open road's the only place I wanna be

I'm not crazy about songs that get self-referential
and most of this stuff should be kept confidential
but who even gives half a fuck anymore
well you should know the truth it's both a blast and a bore
rock stars were once such mythical creatures
up there with presidents playmates and preachers

now you just do it cause it's what you do
they throw underwear instead of money at you
now I've made a living out of shakin' my ass
and if you offered me an office I'd have to pass
but our jobs are all jobs and sometimes they suck
I love what I do and I've had pretty good luck

the fans are all clappin' screamin' and squealin'
and I wont lie to you that's a pretty sweet feeling
and I might butt heads with the guys in my band
but I never once went to work for the man
but the men and the women like you him and her
we're sharin' this night that'll soon be a blur
we've been doing this longer than you've been alive
get on the bus and tell the driver to drive

rock and roll's been very very good to me
the open road's the only place I wanna be
rock and roll's been very very good to me
the open road's the only place I wanna be
rock and roll's been very very good to me
the open road's the only place I wanna be
I said the open road's the only place I wanna be
yeah