Once upon a time you dressed so fine,
Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "Beware, doll,
You're bound to fall" – you thought they were all kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out;
Now you don't talk so loud,
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging around for your next meal –
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
You gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it,
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And you find out now you're gonna have to get used to it.
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis,
You stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say, "Do you want to make a deal?"
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all came down to do tricks for you,
You never understood that it ain't no good,
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you.
You used to ride the chrome horse with your diplomat,
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat –
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he's taken everything that he can steal?
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking they got it made,
Exchanging all precious gifts and things,
But you'd better take your diamond ring down and pawn it, babe.
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used –
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse:
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose –
You're invisible, you've got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Thank you.