Golden Earring - The Fighter lyrics

He was young when I first saw him, maybe 19 or so And I knew he could go places, he'd never dreamed he'd go There was a certain something, impossible to hide Dynamite in both his hands, it swept 'm all aside So they nicknamed him the k**er, and he lived up to that name The guys that tried to fight him, never came out quite the same And man, the crowd just loved him, in those up and coming days Carried him on their shoulders, while they showered him with praise Well, they loved him like a brother, 'cause he gave 'm all the thrill Scarin' sh** about no self defense, only going for the k** He took a beating now and then, but stood there young and tough Never thought of backing up, when the going got too rough He came down like a shockwave, the title easily won He just tore in there man, punching, taking two and landing one But that avalanche of punches, eventually took it's toll Like a constant drip of water, wears down the hardest stone And we all saw it coming, the inevitable fall The night he lost his title, and the title wasn't all He just started slippin', down skids slicker than grease His drawing power faded, and the hero-worship ceased But he couldn't stop the fighting, custom-made for the trade While he blew away the money, on friends success had made I saw him fight again last night, I wish I had been spared The sight of that poor old wreck, for whom nobody no longer cared His eyes had lost their sparkle, his legs had lost their spring And really, it was pathetic, the way he stumbled thru' the ring While an upstart punched him dizzy, punched him silly bell to bell The lust mad hungry wolf-pack, rode him to a far-ye-well Here's the same punks, who once worshipped his shrine when he was king Calling him a coward, as he was groping 'round the ring But he didn't seem to notice, I thought he'll fight until he's dead He'll stay in there and take it, and keep the wolf-pack fed They gave 'm his youth and all his power, now they were tearing him apart My eyes grew dim and misty, for that brave and gallant heart Man, if only I could have my way, I'd know exactly what to do I'd pitch 'm right in there with him, one by one and two by two I'd see him bash their empty heads, egg-like broken shells I'd jump up on my chair and yell for blood while down they fell I'd see 'm beg for mercy, groaning in the night What's wrong you guys, can't you take it Come on you scum and fight k**er - k**er - k**er - k**er