Everybody's preaching how to bring this world together Everybody's pushing love to make it last forever Everybody's got the way to make things right But in their mind you'll find they're blind To any kind of sign that they're uptight You've got to learn to spit before you swallow You've got to learn to give before you borrow And before you can lead you've got to follow So before I die as someone else I'm gonna take good care of myself I can't help but feel I'm under investigation By the local branch of the women's and the gay boys liberation Living makes you crazy if your head is not on straight Don't no one say to stay and pray Is the way I may delay my day of fate, no You've got to learn to spit before you swallow You've got to learn to give before you borrow And before you can lead you've got to follow So before I die as someone else I'm gonna take good care of myself If I seem to be just a bundle of confusion I could use a transplant or at least a mind transfusion Nothing makes much sense, the words keep hanging in my ear I started out to shout what I'm about But now I doubt I'm even here You got to learn to spit before you swallow You got to learn give before you borrow And before you can lead you've got to follow So before I die as someone else I'm going to take good care of myself Take good care of myself Take good care of myself