And now, the end is near,
And so I face the final curtain,
My friend. I'll say it clear,
I've lived a life that's full.
I traveled each and every highway,
And more, much more than this,
But then again, too few to mention.
I planned each charted course,
Each careful step along the by-way,
And more, much more than this,
I ate it up, and spit it out.
I faced it all, and I stood tall,
I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.
And may I say, not in a shy way,
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows