Stay Alive

So many days you’ve walked alone
Through the dust and the valley of stone,
Bleeding heart and broken bones
That are needing to be mended.
Dark dreams in the haunted night
Beat you down till you fold in fright.
Just remember in the blinding light
Even bad men are befriended.

Chorus:
Stay alive, boy, stay alive
Stay alive, boy, stay alive
Stay alive, boy, stay alive
And you may see her again

Way back when it was ’83,
You ruled the night and you felt so free
But now you drift on an open sea
Of regret and you’re filled with sorrow.
She watched you leave on the eastbound train,
You had your reasons, they were all in vain
But what you lost you can still regain
If you hang on till tomorrow.

Chorus

 Ten thousand miles you’ve carried this promise.
She said she’d never forget, yes, and maybe she won’t.
Hold on to your hat, don’t let go of your compass,
Someday you might meet on a non-descript street
But don’t be destroyed if you don’t.

People come and people go
From up above and down below.
It’s just the way that the rivers flow,
But the past can’t be repeated.
The world can seem like a barren land,
So hard to move in the shifting sand,
So difficult to understand
And so easy to be defeated.

Chorus

(1984; Summer 2019; Dec. 16, 2024; Jan. 22, 2025)

(Original Lyrics Revised 6/3/19)

So many days you've walked alone
Through the dust and the valley of stone,
Your bleeding heart and your broken bones
That are needing to be mended.
Dark dreams in the haunted night
Beat you down till you fold in fright.
Just remember in the blinding light
Even bad men are befriended.

Chorus:
Stay alive, boy, stay alive
Stay alive, boy, stay alive
Stay alive, boy, stay alive
’Cause you may see her again

Do you recall it was ’63?
You roamed the fields and you felt so free
But now you’re lost on the open sea
Of regret and you’re filled with sorrow.
She watched you go on the southbound train,
All the tears dripping down the drain.
But what’s been lost may be regained
If you hang on till tomorrow.

Chorus

Ten thousand miles you’ve carried this promise.
She said she’d never forget you, and maybe she won’t.
Hold on to your hat, hold on to your compass,
You might meet in the rain down on Montague Lane,
But don’t be destroyed if you don’t.

People come and people go
From up above and down below.
It’s just the way that the rivers flow,
And the past can’t be repeated.
The world can look like a barren land,
So hard to move in the shifting sand,
So difficult to understand
And so easy to be defeated.

Chorus

Copyright © 1986 by Michael Kim Roos