Folks call me a maverick
 
 Guess I ain't too diplomatic
 
 I just never been the kind to go along
 
 Just avoidin' confrontation
 
 For the sake of conformation
 
  
  And I'll admit I tend to sing a different song
 
 But sometimes you just can't be afraid
 
 To wear a different hat
 
 If Columbus had complied
 
 This old world might still be flat
  
 
 Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained
 
 Sometimes you've got to go against the grain
  
 
 Well, I have been accused
 
 Of makin' my own rules
 
 There must be rebel blood
 
 Just a-runnin' through my veins
 
 But I ain't no hypocrite
  
 
 What you see is what you get
 
 And that's the only way I know
 
 To play the game
 
 Old Noah took much ridicule
 
 For building his great ark
 
 But after forty days and forty nights
 
 He was lookin' pretty smart
  
 
 Sometimes it's best to brave the wind and rain
 
 By havin' strength to go against the grain
  
 
 Well, there's more folks than a few
 
 Who share my point of view
 
 But they're worried
 
 If they're gonna sink or swim
 
 They'd like to buck the system
 
 But the deck is tacked against 'em
  
 
 And they're a little scared
 
 To go out on a limb
 
 But if you're gonna leave your mark
 
 You can't follow like a bunch of sheep
 
 You got to listen to your heart
  
 
 Go bustin' in like old John Wayne
 
 Sometimes you got to go against the grain
 
 Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained
 
 Sometimes you've got to go against the grain