Written by John Mellencamp



Well I've lived and breathed and been disbelieved

In these small town streets too long

I've held nothin' but aces and been many places

And hung on the corner 'til dawn

But my hands have been tied

To a life I've been denied

I'm just a small town boy bein' used like a toy

And workin' a nine to five



Well I worked like a fool 'til after done with high school

Just to form a rock and rollin' band

But the streets were exploding and my life I was decoding

Had a dream I couldn't understand

And I work it out everyday

For no fun and very little pay

I'm just a smal town boy bein' used like a toy

And doin' what other people say



Well I've drooled and fooled and been ridiculed

For havin' dreams just above my reach

And I've lied and died and tried suicide

For all the things you people wanna preach

But I always had to turn the other way

When I heard those homefolks say

(They say) You're just a small town boy bein' used like a toy

And livin' on a day to day



But you must believe that when I walk down the tracks

All those young girls fall back and say

There goes that sleek young silhouette

He don't drive no Corvette

but he stings just like a Sting Ray

And that's my only redemption in this house of detention

That keeps me from simply blowin' it all away

'Cause when I walk down the street in the hot summer heat

I say, God don't take this away



Well by the end of the day, all the kids would go play

And I'd come staggering back home

With a dream in my hand and a master plan

That wouldn't leave my mind alone

Well I compromised all my schemes

And I fluct