tattoos of life

when you've hitched every highway

and rode all the rails

you're no longer afraid of the dark

you get tougher than leather and harder than nails

when you've earned all the scars on your heart. hobos and heroes

bankers and bums

in some ways we're all the same

we all have to pay for the deeds that we've done

and wind up just dragging those chains. life paints a picture that time can't erase

and sometimes it cuts like a knife

sooner or later one way or another

we all wear the tattoos of life. the glory in living

is just running the race

not whether you win or you fail

the lines like a road map

will show on your face

and your eyes tell the rest of the tale. life paints a picture that time can't erase

and sometimes it cuts like a knife

sooner or later one way or another

we all wear the tattoos of life

the tattoos of life.