I used to work construction Built skyscrapers of concrete and steel I used to be a truck driver Thousands of miles passed beneath my wheels I used to be a soldier Fought to keep this nation free I used to be a father I raised a family I used to be a surgeon Healed people with my hands I used to be all kinds of useful things Before my luck went bad I'm on the skids Out on the skids Somehow my life slipped backward And I'm on the skids I'm living in an alley I'm sleeping in a box I get my meals from trash cans I guard my cart like it was Fort Knox Can't visualize my future I'm haunted by my past I wake up every morning Wondering if it's my last I dream of turning my life around I pray it's not too late I just turned 44 But I feel like I'm 88 I'm on the skids Out on the skids Somehow my life slipped backward And I'm on the skids On the skids, skids, skids I'm on the skids, skids, skids On the skids, skids, skids I'm on the skids, skids, skids I wanted to catch the gravy train But it just passed me by Now this bottle of Night Train's The only train I can afford to ride I'm on the skids Out on the skids Somebody help me out Lost on the skids Somebody help me now Prisoner of the skids Out on the skids Lost on the skids On the skids, skids, skids I'm on the skids, skids, skids