Verse 1:
Am
When a man of my age shaves his face in the morning
E Dm
Who is it that stares back and greets him?
Dm G
The ghost of his father long dead all these years?
Dm F
Or the boy that he was, still wet in the ears?
E Am
Or the terrible sum of all of his fears
B Am
In the eyes of this stranger who meets him?
Am
So his glance rarely strays from his chin or his jawline
E Dm
To face up to the truth of his soul
Dm G
It's the eyes he avoids so afraid to acknowledge
F G
Something strange, unexpected, out of control
C
There are times when a man needs to brave his reflection
G Am
And face what he sees without fear
Am F
It takes a man to accept his mortality
Dm E
Or be surprised by the presence of a tear
Am Dm
It was only an arrangement, a practical arrangement
B E
I forgot the first commandment of the realist's handbook
Am Dm
Don't be fooled by illusions you created yourself
B E Am
And fall in love with someone, when she loves someone else
Verse 2:
Em
And where does that leave you?
B
You self-styled man of vision
G E
You feel stupid, you feel angry, are you losing your mind?
Am E
To destroy the one she loves, does that become your mission?
E Am
Like a pantomime villain with an axe to grind?
Dm Em
To regain your self-respect, hold your head up like a man
Am Dm
Use the ice around your heart before it melts
Am Dm Am
But you're not fooling anybody, you're only fooling yourself