Travelling Jim

'Travelling Jim' he was called by his mates
He'd been over the channel, he'd been to the States
He'd travelled in cars, he'd travelled in planes
He'd slashed through the jungle in tropical rains
He'd done it all rich, but now he is poor
And Travelling Jim, he don't travel no more.

Yes, those were the days when he knew all the stars
He'd shared all their drugs and been sick in their cars
They were his mates and they loved him around
They'd known him for years and they thought he was sound
They'd drink to his health, help him out in a ruck
But they toast him no more, now he's down on his luck.

He'd been on the road with all of the greats
Led Zep, The Stones and Bowie were mates
Acid with Jimi and gin with Keith Moon
Cruising with Bolan in Putney in June
But Travelling Jim, he no longer rocks
He's living in Soho in a damp cardboard box.

He's been here for years, watched the limos go by
Been arrested a few times to try to keep dry
He's looked up his friends, but they've all now gone
Or they simply don't see him, he's been homeless so long
So he wanders the streets, requesting loose change
And telling his story, though they think he is strange.

"Today is the day," he's decided at last
So he gets on the tube - they don't see him go past
He travels to Hammersmith, walks to the bridge
Climbs up the scaffold and stands on a ridge
And with a wave of resentment and a smile of relief
He falls past the traffic to the unknown beneath.