Lyrics:

Writer(s): Stephen Bruton, John Fleming

I’ve been obnoxious, I’ve been unconscious,
I’ve been all kind of things that are hard to spell.
I’ve been unruly, speaking truly,
I’ve been so cool I couldn't hardly even stand myself.
I’ve been a monster, without a sponsor,
I’ve been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I’ve been a goner, I’ve been a loner,
And when my mixture was right,
I’m a nice bunch of guys.

I am what I am cause I ain’t what I used to be.
'Cause it is what it is but it ain’t what it used to be.

I’ve been a mover, I was a shaker,
He had a girlfriend, I tried to snake her.
I been mysterious, I been delirious,
I been so weird it woulda killed a normal man.
I wanted money, I wanted power,
I want a monument kinda like the Eiffel Tower.
I been lost at sea, I been lost in space,
And when I fall in love I fall all over the place.

I am what I am cause I ain’t what I used to be. (oooh, yeah)
Cause it is what it is but it ain’t what it used to be.

[Spoken:] Well, tell 'em about it

And you can go on forever and make the same mistakes,
Or you can stand up on your hind legs and change your fate.
Go on and do it till you finally see,
What it is that it was that you don't want to be.

[Spoken:] Walking tall, hoo!

I was an outlaw, I was an in-law,
I was a scapegoat, that was the last straw.
I hit the highway, singin' my way,
But it wound up sounding like 'you’ll never walk alone'.
I got a story, reflected glory,
Is the way that I been seeing for most of my life.
I heard the laughter, up in the rafters,
But I never ever thought that the joke was on me.

I am what I am cause I ain’t what I used to be. ([Spoken:] well, maybe just a little.)
Cause it is what it is but it ain’t what it used to be.

Yeah, I am what I am cause I ain’t what I used to be.
Cause it is what it is but it ain’t what it used to be.