i met a man out on a bridge pier
he said he's gonna jump to save his soul
i said what's the world done to make you mad man
he said sit down son now here's the dope

i can't find work 'cause i'm a blind man
i can't see but sometimes i can see the light
now is my life a labor of love or is my life a love of labor
i still got a hollow feeling in my life

what a way to go
what a way to go
what a way to go
what a way to go

i met this girl her name escapes me
said son i'd love you to be my man
she wrote her name out on a dollar
i spent that dollar on a shot of jim
spent it on a shot of jim

i talked him down and then i walked off
i turned around and he was gone himself
a mile down the road it came upon me
it was me i talked off that ledge
it was me i talked off that ledge
it was me i talked off that ledge

what a way to go
what a way to go
what a way to go