Rock 'n' Roll [I gave you the best years] lyrics

I can still remember when I bought my first guitar

I remember just how good the feeling was

Put it proudly in my car

And I played my friends a thousand times

My two song repertoire

And I told my mom her only son was gonna be star

I bought all the Beatles records, and I tried to sound like Paul

I bought all the old Buddy Holly’s, the 78s and all

And I sat by my record player playing every song they played

And I watched them all on TV every move they made

Rock and Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

The dreamy sunny Sundays

All the magic moonlit nights

I was so busy in the backroom

Writing love songs to you

While you were changing your direction

I never even knew

That I was always one step behind you

‘66 seemed like the year I was really going somewhere

We were living in San Francisco with flowers in our hair

Singing songs of kindness so the world would understand

That the guys and me were something more

Than just another band

And ‘69 in LA well it came around so slow

But we were really making headway and writin’ lots of toons

We must have played the wildest stuff we had ever played

Because the way the crowds yelled out for more we thought we had it made

Rock and Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

Playing my guitar under bright and flashing lights

I was so busy on the road singing love songs to you

While you were changing your direction I never even knew

That I was always one step behind you.

‘71 in Soho when I met Suzanne

I was trying to go it solo with some else’s band

And she came up to me later on and I took her by the hand

And I told her all my troubles and she seemed to understand.

And she followed me to London through a hundred hotel rooms

Through a hundred record companies that didn’t like my tunes

And she followed me til finally I sold my old guitar

And she tried to help me understand that I would never be a star

Rock and Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

The dreamy sunny Sundays

All the magic moonlit nights

And though I’ve never had the chance

Of making it with you

I thank the lord for giving me the little bit I knew

And I will always be one step behind you

Rock and Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

Singing out my love songs... [fades]