I remember when we had a lot of things to do
Impressed by the words we read
And the heroes that we knew

Climb on to dream a dream of my own making
To find a place that we could later lose
To whatever time would bring

We were seventeen
And the cakeman was affecting you
Moving you to greater things
In a lesser way you had to prove

The clock struck summertime
You were going round in circles now
Wishing you were seventeen
At twenty-one, it was a long time gone

And now here you are
You're lost in your own excuse
But the circle's getting smaller every day
You're busy planning the next fifty years

So stay the way you are
And keep your head down in the same old round
Just paint your picture, boy, until you find
A closed circle's better than an open line
Yes, stay the way you are
I got a circle just the same as yours
It may be bigger, but I've more to lose
Who is the luckier man - me or you?