All the dirty streets I walked
All the dirty thoughts I thought
All the dirty deeds that I did
Stick on my mind
I've been putting a tattoo on me
From the inside, I can't see
What it is or what it means
I just know the pain that I feel
But the day when I'll be done and die
Will I see, will I recognize
The whole, the tattoo inside
Of my heart and my soul?
Will I be someone before I die
Will I be someone
When I walk into the dark night, into the dark night
Will I be someone before I die
A dot of ink in God's blue sky
A tattoo myself, I'm fading away
Betty set her mind to die
Made a plan after while
Getting herself overdosed
With the stuff that she liked most
Liquid courage made her nearly insane
Couldn't hit a letter nor a vein
Asked her neighbour to help her through
Neighbour said, "sure I could do this for you"
But hippie Johnny was a junkie himself
He took his share, he gave her something else
He got high while she did faint
He saved her life, what an american saint
Will I be someone before I die
Will I be someone
When I walk into the dark night, into the dark night
Will I be someone before I die
A dot of ink in God's blue sky
A tattoo myself, fading away, I'm fading away
Is it singing peasants throwing their seed
Or the crazies yelling down in the street
Is what you get the stuff that you need
Down in the dark night?
Looking for love, are you looking for God
Christmas tree or a parking lot
A place for a pee or a decent job
Are you fading away?
You can't say because it's too hard
Time to stay or is it time to part
Question mark in the dark
That's what we are
I've been putting a tattoo on me
From the inside I can't see
What it is or what it means
I just know the pain that I feel
Then the day when I'll be done and die
I will see, I will recognize
The whole, the tattoo inside
Of my heart and my soul
Then I'll be someone before I die
Then I'll be someone
When I walk into the dark night, into the dark night
Then I'll be someone before I die
A dot of ink in God's blue sky
A tattoo myself, I'm fading away
I'm fading away
I'm fading away
I'm fading away, I'm fading away
I'm fading away
I'm fading away