Everythin' went from bad to worse,
Money never changed a thing,
Death kept followin', trackin' us down,
At least I heard your bluebird sing.
Now somebody's got to show their hand,
Time is an enemy,
I know you're long gone,
I guess it must be up to me.

If I'd thought about it
I never would've done it,
I guess I would've let it slide,
If I'd lived my life
By what others were thinkin',
The heart inside me would've died.
I was just too stubborn
To ever be governed
By enforced insanity,
Someone had to reach
For the risin' star,
I guess it was up to me.

Oh, the Union Central is pullin' out
And the orchids are in bloom,
I've only got me
One good shirt left
And it smells of stale perfume.
In fourteen months
I've only smiled once
And I didn't do it consciously,
Somebody's got to find your trail,
I guess it must be up to me.

It was like a revelation
When you betrayed me with your touch,
I'd just about convinced myself
That nothin' had changed that much.
The old Rounder in the iron mask
Slipped me the master key,
Somebody had to unlock your heart,
He said it was up to me.

Well, I watched you slowly disappear
Down into the officers' club,
I would've followed you in the door
But I didn't have a ticket stub.
So I waited all night
'Til the break of day,
Hopin' one of us could get free,
When the dawn came over the river bridge,
I knew it was up to me.

Oh, the only decent thing I did
When I worked as a postal clerk
Was to haul your picture down off the wall
Near the cage where I used to work.
Was I a fool or not
To try to protect your identity?
You looked a little
Burned out, my friend,
I thought it might be up to me.

Well, I met somebody face to face
And I had to remove my hat,
She's everything I need