going nowhere

[INTRO] I was leaving. Which wasn't the same as going somewhere. I had a ticket, though. So that was something. [VERSE 1] I packed my stuff, which wasn't much to pack, A couple of shirts and my lousy old hat. The whole place sleeping, the whole place dead, And about a million things going around in my head. I could've gone home, but that would've been dumb. They weren't expecting me till Wednesday to come. So I figured I'd wait till the time was right, Which meant getting the hell out of there that night. I wasn't scared. I just didn't feel like Walking through the front door and getting that look. You know the one people give you when they know You're a screwup, but they're trying not to show. So I got on the train with my bags and my coat, And a couple of bucks that I'd probably blow. I was going to the city. I had that much planned. The rest of it was sort of up in the air. [CHORUS] Going nowhere, getting there fast, Leaving the future and dodging the past. I got a ticket, I got a name, I got a whole lot of nothing to explain. Going nowhere, out of my head, Better than lying awake in my bed. I wasn't lost. I just didn't know Where I'd be going when I got where I'd go. [VERSE 2] The train kept moving, the windows went black, I watched my own face looking back. There was a guy sleeping across from me, And I thought how peaceful a guy could be. I mean, he wasn't thinking about anything. Or maybe he was. You never can tell. People look peaceful when they're sitting still. They could be thinking about raising hell. I kept looking out at the lights going by, Like one of them might tell me the reason why. Everybody's got someplace they're supposed to be, And nobody ever asked what that means to me. I could've called somebody. I didn't, though. I wasn't in the mood to hear "I told you so." Besides, I liked having nobody know Exactly where I was or where I would go. [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK] [VERSE 3] Manhattan was cold, and the streets were bright. Everybody seemed busy doing something that night. I had a room to find, and some time to kill, And the funny thing was, I could do what I will. I didn't have to go to class in the morning. Didn't have to listen to somebody's warning. Didn't have to sit there pretending to care About some old dead king or some old dead bear. I could walk around till my feet got sore. I could stand on a corner and stare at a store. I could buy a sandwich or sit in a bar. I could do anything, which isn't that far From doing nothing, when you think about it. You get all this freedom, then you don't know what to do with it. It's like getting handed the keys to a car When you don't know where the hell you are. [CHORUS] Going nowhere, getting there fast, Leaving the future and dodging the past. I got a ticket, I got a name, I got a whole lot of nothing to explain. Going nowhere, out of my head, Better than lying awake in my bed. I wasn't lost. I just didn't know Where I'd be going when I got where I'd go. [VERSE 4] I found a hotel, which was pretty swell, Though the lobby smelled funny and the elevator looked like hell. I signed my name, or whatever I wrote, And went up to my room with my bag and my coat. I could stay there till Wednesday, maybe Thursday. Nobody'd know if I stayed out all day. I'd see the city, I'd have a good time, And maybe I'd figure out what was on my mind. Which is what I always said when I didn't know What the hell I was doing or where I would go. It's a good excuse, if you want one to use. You can call it a plan when you've got nothing to lose. [OUTRO] I was in Manhattan. Which was where I said I'd go. I took off my coat. Sat down on the bed. And didn't know what to do. I mean, I could've gone anywhere. I just didn't want to go home.