Released: September 1, 1978
Songwriter: James Young
Producer: Chuck Panozzo John Panozzo Dennis DeYoung James Young Tommy Shaw
When I was a young man
I had to kick and scratch and claw
Now it's like top gun in the old west
Everybody wants me to draw
If I had known it would be like this
I might have given it a second thought
But if someone had told me to give it up
It's a line that I wouldn't have bought
Look at me
I'm the great white hope
Can't you see
I'm up against the ropes
Don't you know
It's so hard to cope
When you feel
Like the great white hope
Look at me
I'm the great white hope
Can't you see
I'm up against the ropes
Don't you know
It's so hard to cope
When you feel
Like the great white hope
Now you've paid your money
You're sitting in your ringside seat
And I know that some of you out there
Might wanna see the champ get beat
If I had known it would be like this
I might have given it a second thought
But real life sure isn't like school
There's some lessons that just can't be taught
Look at me
I'm the great white hope
Can't you see
I'm up against the ropes
Don't you know
It's so hard to cope
When you feel
Like the great white hope
Look at me
I'm against the ropes
Look at me
So hard to cope
Look at me
Great white hope
Look at me
Up against the ropes
Look at me
I had to kick and scratch and claw
Now it's like top gun in the old west
Everybody wants me to draw
If I had known it would be like this
I might have given it a second thought
But if someone had told me to give it up
It's a line that I wouldn't have bought
Look at me
I'm the great white hope
Can't you see
I'm up against the ropes
Don't you know
It's so hard to cope
When you feel
Like the great white hope
Look at me
I'm the great white hope
Can't you see
I'm up against the ropes
Don't you know
It's so hard to cope
When you feel
Like the great white hope
Now you've paid your money
You're sitting in your ringside seat
And I know that some of you out there
Might wanna see the champ get beat
If I had known it would be like this
I might have given it a second thought
But real life sure isn't like school
There's some lessons that just can't be taught
Look at me
I'm the great white hope
Can't you see
I'm up against the ropes
Don't you know
It's so hard to cope
When you feel
Like the great white hope
Look at me
I'm against the ropes
Look at me
So hard to cope
Look at me
Great white hope
Look at me
Up against the ropes
Look at me
more tracks from the album
From the album
- Pieces of Eight (1978)
Styx popular songs
- Renegade
- Mr. Roboto
- Babe
- Too Much Time on My Hands
- Boat on the River
- Come Sail Away
- Lady
- The Best of Times
- Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
- Show Me the Way
- The Grand Illusion
- Don’t Let It End
- Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
- Crystal Ball
- Rockin’ the Paradise [Caught in the Act]
- Snowblind
- Miss America
- Pieces of Eight
- Suite Madame Blue
- Sing for the Day
- Man in the Wilderness
- Lorelei
- Hallelujah Chorus
- What Has Come Between Us