''The audience was large and brilliant. Upon my weary heart was showered smiles, plaudits, and flowers, but beyond them, I saw thorns and troubles innumerable.

(Jefferson Davis, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government," 1881)''

It was a pretty good GPA
We got a couple of good grades
And it sounded like a pretty good seven inch
And winter didn't seem so cold
And I had a smile for everyone I know
I was starting to get comfortable in the place that I'm in
And it used to not mean anything
It used to not mean anything
It used to not mean anything, but it really means nothing now

Nothing means anything anymore
Everything is less than zero
And I know it won't do much good
Getting drunk and sad and singing
But I'm at the end of my rope
And I feel like swinging

It was an unflattering photograph
And people saw it all over town
Hanging up on the wall above the urinal
Hear the man with the notepad say,
"Oh, they're funny, but they drink too much"
"Don't be surprised if they don't amount to nothing at all"
We were talking about giving up
We were talking about lying down
We were talking about tying off
Wasn't it supposed to mean something now?

Let them see you struggle and they're going to tear you apart
You ain't never been no virgin, kid, you were fucked from the start
They're all going to be laughing at you

You can't make it on merit, not on merit and merit alone
Dan McGee tried to tell me, "There ain't no more Rolling Stones"
They're all going to be laughing at you

I've been called out, cuckolded, castrated, but I survived
I am covered in urine and excrement but I'm alive
And there's a white flag in my pocket never to be unfurled
Though with their hands 'round my ankles, they bring me down for another swirl
And they tell me, "Take it easy buddy - it's not the end of the world"