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