Born to roam this wicked wild, 
You have so little time, 
So to and fro you wander, while 
A slave to heart and mind, 
Till Mother Earth and Father Time 
Both shrug you off like flies; 
To have a life 
You're gonna have to die

Though the stage may foster fame 
With every strut and leap, 
None but tongues shall bear thy name 
When cold begins to creep 
From the arrow in your ankle, 
Past the hollow of your thigh; 
To have a life
You're gonna have to die

You'll face spitfire and spouting rain 
That slowly drives you mad, 
As everything you gain
Becomes not but what you once had, 
You'll fall to earth down to your knees 
And curse a dumbstruck sky; 
To have a life
You're gonna have to die

Then you'll forgo your soul to go forth 
Gently down the stream, 
Awake asleep, asleep awake, 
Forsaking every dream,
With all that's false appearing true, 
And all that's true, a lie; 
To have a life
You're gonna have to die

And when your body, spirit, heart,
And mind are finally one, 
From lion back to mewling babe
You turn and all is done, 
For all must leave their burdens 
To pass thru the needle's eye; 
To have a life 
You're gonna have to die