He's just an old rock 'n' roller playing music in a backstreet bar

And he sings a little flat and he never learned to play the guitar

But he keeps on belting out them rhythm and blues

"Long Tall Sally" and "Blue Suede Shoes"

He never faced the fact that he's never gonna be a star

He's just an old rock 'n' roller playing music in a backstreet bar



He had a record in the sixties, it was big enough to go Top Ten

And though he tried and he tried he never could make it happen again

He's been living twenty years on bourbon and pride

Jerry Lee went crazy and Elvis died

Then his third wife left him but he never really thought it would last

And now she ain't nothing but another little blast from the past



But sometimes at night when the music and the crowd is having fun

He steps up on the mike with a gleam in his eye

And once again he's twenty-one

And then it's "Be-Bop-A-Lula" and "Heartbreak Hotel"

And "That'll Be The Day"

Then the sweet bird of youth just flies away



He's an earthbound eagle that never did learn how to fly

He ain't never gonna make it but he sure did give it a try

So go dye your hair and turn the music up loud

When it's time to go at least you'll go down proud

You ain't never gonna be nothing but what you are

Just an old rock 'n' roller playing music in a backstreet bar

Just an old rock 'n' roller playing music in a backstreet bar