The last time I saw William, he was as good as gone He'd packed up all his poetry and his hurtin' songs Well they say that he died, but the papers lied About our long lost favourite song And the last time I saw William, he was all undone He'd lost his bag of thunder, and his brave disguise He was trying to find some kind of peace of mind with brand new eyes But it all came back in shades of black, like a past that's just begun And the last time I saw William, he was a man on the run He said It's better to fly than to hold on to shaky ground It's better to let the feelings die, when they're holding you down I saw a long line of loneliness in the corner of his eye But I never did see William cry Now the years run down the boulevard, and the marquee is long gone There's a troubadour in an empty bar, playin' hurtin' songs All the gold and praise from the glory days cannot save our souls tonight And the last time that I saw William He was walking away, walking away from the light The last time I saw William, he was all undone