Once upon a time, you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?
People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”
You thought they were all kiddin’ you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin’ out
Now you don’t talk so loud, now you don’t seem so proud
About havin’ to be scrounging your next meal
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You’ve gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you find out you’re gonna have to get used to it
You said you’d never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He’s not selling any alibis, as you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say, ” Do you want to make a deal?”
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home, like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and do tricks for you
You never understood that it ain’t no good
You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you
Used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain’t it hard when you discover that
He really wasn’t where it’s at
After he took from you everything he could steal
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home, like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They’re all drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you’d better lift your diamond ring, you’d better pawn it, babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home, like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone
