Room Without A View

He said his name was Charlie His father's only son I'd known him since the very day That he turned 21 He climbed up on that barstool As if to make a point And said just keep 'em coming Till it's time to close this joint Third stool from the left is where He camped out every night Stack of quarters for the jukebox And a pack of Camel Lights When young men chase the golden glow That comes with that first hit You let 'em go cause then you know He's never gonna quit He said it's hard to be a cowboy In a city without stars There's no room to rope and wrangle In these windy city bars When you wind up in the drunk tank Like I so often do It's hard to see the future From a room without a view Poor me pour me another It was death by misadventure In the dark before the dawn Nobody ever figured out Exactly what went wrong When you're feeling round for answers It's hard to get a grip Somebody said they'd found him With a six-month sober chip I remember he once told me He was blue blood to the core I said I didn't doubt it As he staggered out the door If you've ever seen a young man Growing old before your eyes It'll make you want to quit this job Before the next one dies He said it's hard to be a has been When you've never been at all There's no great expectations In the land of no last call Face down on a flop house floor Won't make much sense to you But you don't have to face the future From a room without a view Poor me pour me another