You went out looking for some trouble that your mother couldn't save you from
You met a man who called you brilliant and another one who called you dumb
And now you wonder if there's something in between
The distant thunder and the lightning you have seen
You asked for nobody's permission 'cause permission's just a lawyer's word
A way to demonstrate your deference to people that you find absurd
For all you've been through with those self-important fools
They may convince you you should follow all their rules
How to build a house without the tools
I'd never dance with the hounds of hell
Or cause a scene just for show and tell
I'd never sell them the song you sing
But I don't know a goddamn thing
You climbed the stairs to your apartment like a princess in a plaster cast
The key was dancing round the socket but you got it to go in at last
Inside the bubble of this tower with a view
You scan the rubble for the world that you once knew
Life can be so sweet without a clue
I'd never swim with a great white shark
Or hit my head just to make my mark
Or trade your spark for a diamond ring
But I don't know a goddamn thing
Somehow I'm sure when the flame turns blue
You'll laugh out loud and just walk on through
Because you're more than a half-baked fling
And I don't know a goddamn thing