Back when I was 4 and I knew the name of every dinosaur 
I knew how to read [bad word] books 
My babysitter said I was really smart 
When the lights went out everything changed 
The radio music made me feel strange 
And I had a real bad dream about a gorilla in the bathroom 

Back when I was 6 I took everything real serious 
And I thought that every song that came on the radio 
Was referring to strange ual acts 
Because they thought I wouldn't know the facts 
And being small is hard and no one ever tells you how 

And back when I was 8 I'd sit outside on an old milk crate 
And look out at the world from the stoop across the street 
The boomboxes and the hot concrete 
And every Halloween they hung 
[bad word] skeletons across ninth street. 

Back when I was 12 or so I swear to god I never felt so low 
Everyone but me was making out and eating cookies 
I had more than my brain could stand 
I threw my life in a garbage can 
I felt so weird 
I had to disappear 
In crying suicide disease. 

At 15 getting stoned felt good and it sent me back to childhood 
And nothing ever mattered to me more than that. 

But then 16 became eclipse 
My brain became apocalypse 
I was lost and found and I've never been the same. 

Back when I was 22 I left the best thing that I knew 
and I gave it up for fortune and for fame 
I played like I didn't know how 
I shocked the world 
I wowed the crowd 
But I deserved more than what they gave 

Back when I was 27 still nothing had been forgiven 
Clay turns into rock and rock just sits 
So sitting on a crowded beach 
I'd pretend I was a leach 
And stick to things here and there for a little bit 

Back when I was 31 I knew I'd [bad word] what I'd [bad word] 
Nothing left to reveal 
And nowhere else to turn 
So shocked and withered dumb and bitter 
And in need of a babysitter 
I'd gladly let my hand fall off and burn burn burn 

Back when I turned the big 4-0 I realized just how much there was to go 
And I started to think that being alone forever 
Wasn't where it was at 
So I pulled my head out of the window 
And I taught myself how to love real fast 
I started talking about painting 
With a woman in the laundromat 

Back when I was 50 and my first wife had just left me 
I felt okay and I sang my daughter 
Funny little songs 
And just when I thought the best was past 
I fell in love for real at last 
And it didn't even matter that it had taken me so long 

Back when I was 63 the public rediscovered me 
 [bad word] books and records had all [bad word] rare cult-collector items 
Both my parents were deceased 
So they didn't see my records get re-released 
And I got a dog for the first time in my life 

Back when I was 74 my dog died and I got two more 
I still felt really good about my daughter 
And also about my girlfriend 
And I'd sing and draw a little bit 
But mostly I'd wake up early and sit 
And hang out with the puppies and wish that I could live forever 

Back when I was 87 my grandson had just turned eleven 
My woman was dead 
And my dogs were getting pretty old 
My body didn't work quite like it should 
But overall things were pretty good 
I was getting decent royalties from the [bad word] books and records 

Back when I was 106 
My only friend 
Was one goldfish 
Everyone I ever knew was dead and gone 
The goldfish never had a name 
And the neighbors thought I was insane 
And I flushed it down the toilet when I saw it floating upside down* 

Back when I was 128 I would sit outside on an old milk crate 
And look out at the world from the stoop across the street 
The boomboxes and the hot concrete 
And every Halloween they hung 
[bad word] skeletons across 9th street 
Every Halloween they hung 
[bad word] skeletons 
Every Hallow