She had a thirst for knowledge.
She studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College.
That's where I caught her eye.
She told me that her Dad was loaded.
I said, in that case I'll have a rum and coca-cola.
She said fine, and in thirty seconds time she said,
I want to live like common people.
I want to do whatever common people do.
I want to sleep with common people.
I want to sleep with common people, like you.
Well, what else could I do?
I said, I'll see what I can do.
I took her to a supermarket.
I don't know why, but I had to
Start it somewhere, so it started there.
I said, pretend you've got no money.
She just laughed, and said
Oh you're so funny. I said, yeah?
Well, I can't see anyone else smiling in here.
Are you sure you want to live like common people?
You want to see whatever common people see?
You want to sleep with common people?
You want to sleep with common people, like me?
But, she didn't understand,
(Jackson)
She just smiled and held my hand.
Rent a flat above a shop.
Cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some fags and play some pool.
Pretend you never went to school.
But still, you'll never get it right.
When you're lying in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall,
If you called your Dad he could stop it all.
Yeah.
(Shatner)
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do whatever common people do.
You'll never fail like common people.
You'll never watch your life slide out of view,
And dance and drink and screw
(Jackson and Shatner)
Because there's nothing else to do.
(Shatner and Chorus)
Sing along with the common people.
Sing along, and it might just get you thru.'
(Chorus)
Laugh along with the common people.
(Shatner and Chorus)
Laugh along, even though they're laughing at you
(Shatner)
And the stupid things that you do
'cause you think that poor is cool.
(Jackson)
Like a dog lying in a corner,
They'll bite you and never warn you.
Look out.
(Shatner)
They'll tear your insides out
'cause everybody hates a tourist.
(Jackson)
'Cause Everybody hates a tourist,
Especially one who thinks
It's all such a laugh.
(Shatner)
Yeah, and the chip stains' grease
Will come out in the bath.
(Shatner and Jackson)
You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go.
You're amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright,
While you can only wonder why.
Rent a flat above a shop.
Cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some fags and play some pool.
Pretend you never went to school.
But still, you'll never get it right.
'Cause When you're lying in bed at night
(Shatner)
Watching roaches climb the wall,
If you called your Dad he could stop it all.
Yeah.
You'll never live like common people
(Shatner and Jackson)
You'll never do what common people do.
You'll never fail like common people.
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
And dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.
(Chorus)
I want to sing with common people, like you.
I want to sing with common people, like you.
I want to sing with common people, like you.
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994).
Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television productions before moving into guest-starring roles in various U.S. television shows. He appeared as James Kirk in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, 21 of the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first seven Star Trek movies. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences before, during and after his time in a Starfleet uniform. He has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe and a series of science fiction novels, the TekWar sequence, that were adapted for television. Outside Star Trek, Shatner played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986), hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), guest starred on the detective series Columbo, and acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality (2000).
Shatner's television career after his last appearance as Captain Kirk has embraced comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun, he played the alien "Big Giant Head" to which the main characters reported. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and in its spinoff Boston Legal, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards, one for his contribution to each series. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured east Asia and Europe.
Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, beginning in 1968 with his album The Transformed Man. His cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", and Elton John's "Rocket Man". His most successful album was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011), which includes covers of Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly", David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In 2021, Shatner flew into space aboard a Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule. At age 90, he became the oldest person to fly in space and one of the first 600 to do so. Minutes after the flight, he described experiencing the overview effect.
