The Cheese Stands Alone

I've been Banana'd, Cabaret'd, stuffed in a truck for days
Leathered out, flannel'd in, paid to play, thought we'd win
The talent show that would break the band
Wrote the words that hit the fan
Flogged and prog'd, revival'd to death
Released and reviewed and signed with the best!

Leave me out, I've had my fill
Stand on my own, I've been through it all

I've been AOR'd, alternadised, heavy-metal'd, acousticised
Pickled to an amber hue and never lied to me or you
To get ahead or create a vibe, for sympathy to romanticize
How hard it is to rock 'n roll
To be a pawn or gain control

It seems that lately we've become quite the target
Dodging verbal traffic, oh the fun of it
Our job is now writing, performing, and enduring
And I'd have to be lying if I denied loving it (shake it down)

I love it, I eat it, I starve it then I feed it
It spins my head and moves my toes
You can smell the beat it tickles my nose
It fills my gut and gets my goat
It sinks my ship and floats my boat
Don't let it take you out too far
Or change the you, you really are

Step up and see the band
Play favorites from one night stands
A resume of four golden years
When the cheese stood alone
So heigh-ho the dairy-o
I'm tickled pink and don't you know
To love the things we plant and grow
Is a treasure hard to find

Looking back my credit was never shaky
I may have burned a few bridges here and there
Looking back I've seen the serpent and his offer
The weasel in his hole, the leech on the wound
The sly old cat wants the rat
The rat he aims to please
But back and forth they never see
The cheese stands alone
So heigh-ho the dairy-o
I'm tickled pink and don't you know
To love the things we plant and grow
Is a treasure hard to find

Looking back I can't help but look forward
There's so much life, there's so much more
Everyone has so much to offer
You're crazy to ignore it, you're crazy not to try