[Verse 1]
When Richard Cory came around
We looked at him like he was crowned
A gentleman, so gracious
He was quiet, understated
And he always bought the beer although he knew we couldn't pay
And he fluttered all the pulses of the girls lined in his way

[Verse 2]
And his family was wealthy
And he aced each of his grades
Yeah, he made it look so easy
We all wished that we could be him
But I lost touch after high school when he got a law degree
You might see him back for Christmas
He would always wave at me

[Verse 3]
So on we worked and waited
Living from our hands to mouth
And we heard he bought a condo
But no word about a spouse
And our kids were all tucked in
And we were sleeping in our beds
When Richard one calm summer night put a bullet through his head
When Richard one calm summer night put a bullet through his head
When Richard one calm summer night put a bullet through his head

[Breakdown]
They buried you the day it rained
Your funeral felt so strange
I don't know who else to blame
God, I wish you would have stayed

[Outro]
When Richard Cory left this world
Our lives stopped making sense at all