I Was Here Lyrics > Glorious Ones, The

I've gone without bread
I've slept in the mud
I've given my best
While they screamed for my blood
I've begged and I've bullied
For any small chance to perform

And nights I've awakened
My guts in a knot
Remembering how much I gave up
And for what?
Some paints and some costumes
A pitiful tent in a storm

A handful of coins
A trunk always packed
No family, no home
Just this madness to act

Still I have a theory
About this disease we contract...
That most men are equally crazy
As actors, in fact

Why does a boy carve his name on a tree
Or the first born inherit the throne?
What is a sculptor aspiring to be
When he spends half his life carving stone?

Kings built their tombs for the ages
Poets and fools fill up their pages
What are we hoping for?
What do we fear?

I say we yearn to leave something that lasts
And be known for what little we've done
Men tell their children the tales of their past
And each man gives his name to his son

Something in song or in story
Something in blood, something of glory
Something that won't fade away in a year

Well, I will not flicker, and die like an ember
Do many man flicker and die?
I will leave something behind to remember
Somehow I must, don't ask me why.

I have no sons, at least none I can claim
And no patience for carving in stone
All that I have are my skill and my name
And this chance to make both of them known

This is my key to the portal
How I can leave something immortal
Something that time cannot make disappear
Something to say 'I was here'

[Thanks to Callie K. for lyrics]
Last Update: November, 12th 2014