The Great Wall of China

Advice is cheap you can take it from me It's yours to keep cause opinions are free Nobody knows about the trouble I've seen Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean It costs too much and takes too long to find out too late Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken Your role was protective, your soul was too defective Some people just don't have a heart to be broken We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China If you'd only had a little more faith in me In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright All the king's men and all the king's horses Can't put you together the way you used to be We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China You take a piece of whatever you touch Too many pieces means you're touching too much You never win if you can't play it straight You only beat me if you get me to hate It must be so lonely to think that you have only Somebody else's life to live if they let you I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective To find out how fast your friends will forget you We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China Now all you're going to be is history Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the Empire Diner tonight You coulda had class, you coulda been a contender Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me You could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China This was not your calling, just look how far you've fallen I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?