Dreidel
Jim Croce & Don McLean Lyrics

I feel like a spinning top for a dreidel
I feel like my life is constantly spinning and I am powerless to stop it

The spinning don't stop when you leave the cradle
Life keeps moving forward and you must keep up with it

You just slow down
As you age, life gets harder and harder to keep up with

Round and around this world you go
Life is relentless and moves in circles

Spinning through lives of the people you know
Our lives are intertwined with the people around us

We all slow down
As we age, we become slower and more cautious in our approach to life

How you gonna keep on turning from day to day
How are you going to keep up with the pace of life?

How you gonna keep from turning your life away
How are you going to avoid wasting your life?

No days you can borrow
Time cannot be borrowed or saved for later

No time you can buy
No amount of money can buy more time

No trust in tomorrow
We cannot rely on the future to fix our problems

It's a lie
The idea that we have unlimited time is a lie we tell ourselves to feel better

And I feel like I'm a-dipping and a-diving
I feel like my life is full of ups and downs

My sky shoes are spiked with lead heels
I am weighed down by the heaviness of life's challenges

I'm lost in this star car I'm a-driving
I feel directionless in life

But my air sole keeps pushing big wheels
I keep moving forward, even when life feels impossible

My world is a constant confusion
Life is often overwhelming and confusing

My mind is prepared to attack
I am always bracing myself for the next challenge life throws my way

My past a persuasive illusion
Our memories are often distorted and not a completely accurate portrayal of reality

I'm watching the future its black
I am scared of what the future holds

What do you know
What can we truly know about life?

You know just what you perceive
Our understanding of the world is limited to what we've experienced

What can you show
What evidence do we have to back up our beliefs?

Nothing of what you believe
Our beliefs are often subjective and not based on empirical evidence

And as you grow
As we mature and grow older

Each thread of life that you lead
Every decision you make affects the course of your life

Will spin around your deeds
Your actions have consequences

And dictate your needs
Your choices determine your priorities and what you need in life

As you sell your soul
As we compromise our beliefs or values

And you sow your seeds
The decisions we make now plant the seeds for our future

And you wound yourself
The mistakes we make can cause harm to ourselves

And your loved one bleeds
Our actions affect those we care about

And your habits grow
Our habits become a part of who we are and shape our lives

And your conscious feeds
Our conscience is impacted by the choices we make

On all that you thought you should be
We often have ideas of who we should be or what we should do, but these are not always based on reality

I never thought this could happen to me-e-e-e-e
We are often unprepared for the challenges and difficulties life throws our way

You just slow down
In the end, we all eventually slow down as we age and face life's challenges