Long Way To Go

[Verse 1]



I remember as a kid at school, getting ridiculed for being overweight

I didn’t wanna get in swimming pools coz I was too ashamed to expose my frame

Back then I’d deliberately forget to bring my kit with me to PE

And who’dya think was the last man standing, whenever it came to getting picked for teams? Me

I possessed every characteristic, of a classic bullying victim

Short and podgy, and I talked poshly, – I was like their walking wishlist

It was only the fact I could draw, that saved me from all of the pain they inflicted

“Oi fat boy, wanna get your head kicked in?” Wait! Let me show you this picture of Bart Simpson

But even though I was spared the beatings, it didn’t make me a happy person

My self esteem was already low, and as I entered my teens it only worsened

I didn’t think that a girl on earth could ever be attracted to a guy as fat as me

And I was too shy to chat to them so it became a self-fulfilling prophecy

And as my friends lost their virginities, I just came up with excuses

Coz back then sex felt to me like a private joke and I wasn’t included

But I denied that there was a problem, and acted like I was fine when I wasn’t

So I kept eating and drinking and stuffing my face with drugs ’til I hit rock bottom



[Hook]



I don’t know much in life

But there’s one thing I know

I’ve come a long way

But I gotta long way to go



[Verse 2]



I woke up one day and decided, there’s no way I can carry on like this

– And for the first time in my life, I joined a gym and started exercising

The results were truly surprising – I lost weight at a rapid rate

And within the first month alone, I’d lost over a stone and was feeling great

Every week I’d jump on the scales, and without fail had lost even more

And every month I was buying new clothes coz I was too small for the ones the month before

But the thing I loved most of all, was the reactions from friends that I knew

People double taking in the street like “Offbeat? I barely recognised you!”

And I won’t deny that was nice, but with that prize there comes a price

I had to change my lifestyle completely and sacrifice all of the things that I liked

No restaurants, no alcohol, no treats or home cooked meals

And at the time I justified it like “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”

I’ll admit I became obsessive, even my relationships were strained

Coz I couldn’t go for a meal without stressing, about how many calories it contained

Eventually I made a magazine cover, but still didn’t feel satisfied

Coz I may have achieved my goal, but what’s the point if you can’t live life?



[Hook]



I don’t know much in life

But there’s one thing I know

I’ve come a long way

But I gotta long way to go



[Verse 3]



So now I’d completed my transformation, and been featured in a publication

I was getting emails every day from strangers saying I was their inspiration

And that was great but behind the scenes, I was feeling the pressure

And even though I was in the best shape of my life, I was more self conscious than ever

I began being tempted by all the food that until this point I’d resisted

And bit by bit I started giving in, til I was binging on junk like a fiend addicted

All the things that were once restricted, now weren’t any longer

Coz the thing about depriving yourself of something, is it makes your desire for it that much stronger

It took about a month to undo, a year’s worth of achievements

And whilst I won’t ever get that fat again, I know that I’m not a gym freak either

And even though I invested all that effort, I don’t regret it for a second

I had to do it to prove it to myself that I could and the process taught me a valuable lesson

It’s how you feel on the inside that counts, not how you look physically

Coz I’d rather be happy and a little bit flabby, than ripped but living in misery

And I’m much more fun to hang around with now – at least that’s what my friends tell me

And while my diet might not be as good as it could – my attitude’s a lot more healthy



[Hook]



I don’t know much in life

But there’s one thing I know

I’ve come a long way

But I gotta long way to go





I don’t know much in life

But there’s one thing I know

I’ve come a long way

But I gotta long way to go