A Year to Go By

By Phil Ochs

Here I am
10 years have I
Watch me run, watch me play, watch me cry
Time has no time
The world is mine 
And it takes 10 years for a year to go by

Here I am
Now 21
Learned all I need for a life that’s just begun
I know the rules
Old men are fools
And it takes 7 years
For a year to be done

Here I am
Past 42
All that I know now if only then I knew
Tricked by time
Now I find
That it takes just a year 
for a year to be through

Here I am
As old as old
All sayings have been said
All stories have been told
Taught by time
The greatest crime is to
Live less than a year 
when a year has unrolled
Less than a year
when a year has unrolled

Notes:

1964.

Contributed by Rob Geller, who said: ``The song is commonly known as "A Year to Go By," although it's not certain that is what Phil intended to title it.''