Advice is cheap you can take it from me
  It's yours to keep 'cause opinions are free
  Nobody knows about the trouble I've seen
  Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean
  It costs too much and takes too long to find out too late
  Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken
  Your role was protective, your soul was too defective
  Some people just don't have a heart to be broken
    CHORUS
    We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
  If you'd only had a little more faith in me
  In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
  All the king's men and all the king's horses
  Can't put you together the way you used to be
  We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China
    You take a piece of whatever you touch
  Too many pieces means you're touching too much
  You never win if you can't play it straight
  You only beat me if you get me to hate
  It must be so lonely to think that you have only
  Somebody else's life to live if they let you
  I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective
  To find out how fast your friends will forget you
    We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
  Now all you're going to be is history
  Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the Empire Diner tonight
  You coulda had class, you coulda been a contender
  Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
  You could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
    This was not your calling, just look how far you've fallen
  I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking
  Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective
  Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?
    CHORUS