The actor The actor The actor I lived a life and cast myself a role I played a part of my own devising I played it well, too well for healthy soul Believing in my fantasizing When all around me cheered and chanted I took the accolade I sold the lonely loser's wisdom Of clay and wattle made Of clay and wattle made The actor The actor The actor My character he loved the crowded nights The easy pleasures of the rise to fame The hardest acting still was yet to come As high he rise, as far he fall again When all around me cheered and chanted I played the masquerade The teeny girls they screamed and panted Too many bows he made Too many bows he made The actor The actor The actor After a while the show came off the road Settling down for the very first time Man in the mirror with his make-up off Gone from his lip the sad magical rhyme No more around him cheered and chanted He shun the big parade Now he sounding weird and slanted A slave of his trade A slave of his trade The actor The actor The actor Phoenix he rises from the cleansing flame Shedding the skin of past pretending Fully awakened he cast off his frown Happily naked uncontending And all around him cheering, chanting A wiser fool is he The teeny kids in new wave ranting Slum heroes to be And all around him cheering, chanting A wiser fool is he The teeny kids in new wave ranting Slum heroes to be Slum heroes to be The actor The actor The actor