Opening Act

There's a big fat man on a mechanical bull in slow motion Like Debra Winger And he gets knocked off and I think he's hurt It's a bitch facing facts and figures There's a band on stage that used to be huge They're on but no one's listening And they're asked to turn down and they politely oblige Ain't no such thing as a free ride And it ain't my night and it ain't my town And I ain't being condescending It's just the opening slot and I hit my mark And leave as the crowd is thinning But the man's on the guest list So I guess it'll be alright Said the man's on the guest list So I guess it'll be alright Said the man's on the guest list So I guess it'll be alright The man's on the guest list In a little while the paramedics come And they haul off that Urban Bovine Knievel And I see my friend and I give him all my money And I tell myself it's a necessary evil And it's all such a fleeting thing So I guess I'd best try and enjoy it All this beauty and just enough time To figure out how to destroy it I'm just the opening act And it ain't my crowd and it ain't my night But I'd be lying if I said I can't relate I'm just the opening act and the van is packed And I'm hauling ass to another state And I'm driving north as the sun is risin' Over a technicolor horizon I reached out to touch you and you're not there You're a thousand miles away from here And I turned on the radio And heard some preacher talking salvation My tank is half-full And I reached over and changed the station I'm just the opening act