Friendly Fire

An inspirational tirade against me How to explain my life? Girls to the left of me Boys to the right of me Neither husband nor wife Though the days are filled with pain There is no one who'll explain Why I'm coming under friendly fire Shot in the fatal cause of rock and roll But there's no one, really no one, to say Why I endure under force majeure Slander without shame or tact I who studied make-up, mime and Buddha Who taught two generations to react About me the critics lied I ignored them and survived In spite of coming under friendly fire Shot in the fatal cause of rock-and-roll But there's nothing, really nothing, to deny When I look back, my eyes are filled with tears Danger to mascara, applause to my peers When fame sustained me and arenas acclaimed me I floated through life on a cloud Of love and insanity and pagan profanity Before a worshipping crowd Now my status is ill-defined As an icon, I'm inclined To be coming under friendly fire Shot in the fatal cause of rock and roll But whatever, dull or clever, points they've scored I have never, oh no, never, been ignored