Potential

You prob'ly won't believe this,
But when I was in my teens
They told me I could be a star,
The best they'd ever seen.
Don't laugh, now.  I'm not joking.
Man, I was a Wonder Kid.
Had a whole room full of trophies.
Well, they're gone now, but I did.
I did radio and TV, man,
No, I'm not kidding you.
Wrote articles for the paper,
Heck, I even did the news.
I could've been a model too,
Had really cool head shots.
Yes, I could've.  Guess I should've.
But I didn't, so I'm not.

Say what? What happened to me?
Well, it all became too much.
With competitions, school and shows,
An endless, friendless rush.
I could prob'ly get back up there now,
If I just had the time,
But, dude, you should've seen me
Back when I was in my prime.
Everything I touched turned golden,
Every wall before me fell.
With talent straight from Heaven
I stepped onstage and gave 'em hell.
I could've been a superstar,
A legend!  PSSSSS!! White hot!
Yes, I could've.  Guess I should've.
But I didn't, so I'm not.

I got tired of people hounding me,
The list would never end.
I never got to goof around
And hang out with my friends.
There was never time to just relax,
The schedule got too tough.
I was - hey, dude, don't smoke it all.
C'mon, I bought the stuff!
I could've been a writer too,
Back in my younger days.
They loved everything I wrote.
Said I could really turn a phrase.
My characters were great,
But it's so hard to think of plots.
Yes, I could've.  Guess I should've.
But I didn't, so I'm not.

But hey, forget that old stuff,
And grab me another beer.
Don't mind those dusty ice trays,
They've been up there for years.
I'm still the best!  I'll show you all!
That's it, boys, this is War!
I've got six clips of ammo left.
You'll never beat my score.
I'm all grown up, I've got you guys,
And this life suits me fine.
I work the graveyard shift again,
So lots of overtime.
Yeah, I could've been a lot more,
But what I gave is what I got.
Yes, I could've.  Guess I should've.
But I didn't, so I'm not.