When I was just a youngster, this man looked down and said

He said whatcha gonna be when you grow up

I just know that you’ll get ahead

But it didn’t turn out that way, no it didn’t turn out that way

No matter what that old man said, it just didn’t turn out that way

When I was just a schoolboy, my teacher said to me

Work hard, do right, and you’ll be what you wanna be

But it didn’t turn out that way, no it didn’t turn out that way

No matter what that teacher said, it just didn’t turn out that way

When I was just a young man, I was looking for a mate

I met this girl and we declared that we’d share a mutual fate

But it didn’t turn out that way, no it didn’t turn out that way

No matter what we used to say, it just didn’t turn out that way

Well I became a wand’rer and I left my old life behind

I thought if I looked far enough, I’d find a way to my peace of mind

But it didn’t turn out that way, no it didn’t turn out that way

No matter what I’d like to say, it just didn’t turn out that way