Twenty-Five Years
Halford Lyrics

I can't remember
I cannot recall when it all started

When the moment started
The inception of my difficulties is uncertain

It creeps up
It sneaks up on me

When you least expect to fail
When failure is least anticipated

You try to tell yourself
You attempt to convince yourself

That you are selfless
That you are altruistic

But that's the big mistake
That is where the fault lies

That sets your sail
That steers you off course

The signs are all around you
The warning signals encircle you

But you miss them
You ignore them

You turn your back
You betray your companions

On every friend you know
On all your associates

The games you play
The lies you tell to defend yourself

To justify your madness
To rationalize your insanity

Will leave you crying
Will cause you to weep

For the pain that grows
In response to the burgeoning agony

[Chorus]
Refrain

Twenty-five years, twenty-five years
Twenty-five years, twenty-five years

I tried to be a man and face my fears
I attempted to be courageous and confront my apprehensions

Twenty-five years, twenty-five years
Twenty-five years, twenty-five years

I've had the devil on my back for twenty five years
The torment has trailed me for two and a half decades

For when you fall
After you stumble

You have to reach the bottom
You must hit rock bottom

And count your blessings
And appreciate what you still have

That you're still alive
That you're not yet dead

That's when you look
That's when you seek

To someone who was with you
To the person who supported you

At every single step
Throughout the journey

Right by your side
By your side

It's said from this you grow
It's believed that you develop from this

Inside much stronger
Internally much more robust

That may be true
That might be accurate

But I am still so weak
However, I'm still incredibly feeble

There's days that seem
There are times that appear

So endless makes me wonder
So interminable that I become curious

Will something come
Will something arrive

To close this losing streak
To terminate this sequence of defeats

[Chorus]
Refrain

I'm tired and so lonely
I'm exhausted and desolate

From this journey
From this expedition

And still can't figure out
And I still can't comprehend

Some things I've said
Some of the things I've expressed

But all I know
But what I'm aware of

Is there's a place that's calling
Is that there's somewhere beckoning

I'll find that place
I'll locate that place

And rest my weary head
And lay down my fatigued head

Twenty-five years
Twenty-five years

Twenty-five years
Twenty-five years

I tried to be a man
I tried to act like a responsible adult

And face my fears
And confront my fears

Twenty-five years
Twenty-five years

Twenty-five years
Twenty-five years

I've had the devil on my back
I've been struggling with a demon for a quarter of a century

For twenty five years
For a duration of twenty-five years