Johnny found a penny on the ground when he was five
He stuck it in a empty coffee can and taped the lid shut
Slit the top and labeled it with masking tape: Free Money
Now he's got good reason to pay attention to details
Understands potential of the little things in life
That most people arrogantly pass by on high horses
Too caught up in the ride, too wide-eyed
Too lost in a head of pointless thoughts to realize
That deaf ears mute traditional voices
He was smart kid
Knew enough to keep his head straight
Despite his crooked optic, he's cycloptic
Collects change off the ground after people drop it
Add it to the Maxwell House account
Nobody knows about
Not the kids on the playground
They knock him down
But he sees more with one eye than those guys
He'll survive the hurt pride and the broken nose dives
Til the miracle medical procedure eliminates the need for
Prescription monocles and trips to the hospital
Every Monday for a physical
College graduation looking like a normal citizen
But he never quite fit in, he was a freak til age eleven
Never told his secret, never looked at pictures
Never had a girlfriend
Never trusted mirrors
Never liked two eyes to dry tears
Johnny goes to work every day
He's a salesman, has to sell himself
To sell enough to make commission
Legal prostitution
He hates himself for the first time, breaks down and cries
Is this why I worked so hard to hold on to this life?
To get shit on by people that I don't even like?
Used to be that everyone expected me to fight
Now they're like, "Play nice"
And on his knees his sees shiny new quarter
In the grass
And all the walls start to collapse
He makes about eighty bucks a day, good pay
Stops at
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R.e.m. lyrics
