[Verse 1]
Looking backwards, all my pictures
Look like send-ups of stolen scriptures
We were children dressed up like men
Paintin' places we'd never been

[Chorus]
How am I ever gonna get by?
How am I ever gonna get by all by myself?

[Verse 2]
Well, I'm trying to keep it simple
But ain't these gods so damn fickle?
You're stiff and strong, then you're scared and sober
North Carolina in East October

[Chorus]
How am I ever gonna get by?
How am I ever gonna get by all by myself?
How am I ever gonna get by?
How am I ever gonna get by all by myself?

[Verse 3]
Tell me when and where you learned it
You built your chapel and then you burned it
Was it Satan or the Second Coming?
The soul you're bearing, the song you're strumming
[Chorus]
How am I ever gonna get by?
How am I ever gonna get by all by myself?
How am I ever gonna get by?
How am I ever gonna get by all by myself?