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I am just a poor boy.
Though my story's seldom told,
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles, Such are promises
All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest.
When I left my home
And my family,
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station,
Running scared,
Laying low,
Seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places
Only they would know
Lie la lie
Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job,
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores
On Seventh Avenue
I do declare,
There were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there.
Lie la lie
Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone,
Going home
Where the New York City winters
Aren't bleeding me,
Leading me,
Going home.
In the clearing stands a boxer,
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame,
"I am leaving, I am leaving."
But the fighter still remains
Lie la lie
Though my story's seldom told,
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles, Such are promises
All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest.
When I left my home
And my family,
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station,
Running scared,
Laying low,
Seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places
Only they would know
Lie la lie
Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job,
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores
On Seventh Avenue
I do declare,
There were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there.
Lie la lie
Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone,
Going home
Where the New York City winters
Aren't bleeding me,
Leading me,
Going home.
In the clearing stands a boxer,
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame,
"I am leaving, I am leaving."
But the fighter still remains
Lie la lie
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I am a Fighter not a quitter !!!!!!!
He seems to present it as a story no one wants to hear, that doesn't inspire anyone despite it being the brutal reality of many people "still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the life".
I think it just shows his best efforts to live on his own despite thinking he can't do it, and this is supported by the boxer metaphor. He's fighting to stay alive and to live on his own, even though all the odds are against him. And every blow he takes just makes him want to go home more, but he can't leave, and so the fighter still remains.
I suffer from some mental illness, it's not important what type but the last lines always haunt me.
"At the clearing"... When it's all done and said and there you are "stands a boxer and a fighter, by his trade, and he carries the reminders of every glove that's laid him down or cut him 'til he cried out in his anger and his pain." I have to every day feel the things that got me here where I am. Whether I want to feel them or not. The ones that have cut me and the anger and pain.
"I am leaving, I am leaving but the fighter still remains."
I have many times wanted to "leave" and almost did a couple of times. But somehow the fighter still remains. There is hope but I still can't forget the cuts that made me cry out in my anger and pain.
Kind of depressing, eh? Just having a tough day.
Intentional ambiguity? On one hand, the 'fighter' remains -- undaunting and keeps fighting, not giving up? On the other hand, he talks of leaving but never does.
Personally, I think this song has to do with lies. The lies people tell us, but more the lies we tell ourselves. Our lofty dreams that will never come true. It's all a lie (lie-la-lie-lie lie-la-lie).
The music is beautiful too.
The melancholy melody tells me it isn't a song about victory at all
The fighter remains because he doesn't have a choice. It is his only way to make a living and he doesn't want do it anymore.
The melancholy melody tells me it isn't a song about victory at all
The fighter remains because he doesn't have a choice. It is his only way to make a living and he doesn't want do it anymore.