Too many holes, the damage done
It's bittersweet, black on gold
Talk is cheap, or so I'm told
I'm gonna ride this bike to the edge of town
Roll to the bridge with my eyes shut
And spit at the stars
And scream in the dark
There's nothing I can do to change it now
But if I cut myself open, baby
You can read all my scars
Read all my scars
Hello, goodbye
There's a million ways to die
Should've left me way back
Should've left me way back
By the roadside
Hello, goodbye
I was staring in the devil's eyes
Should've left me way back
Should've left me way back
By the roadside
It's a bitter taste
Jagged stain on my skin
Broken leg, born again
Wide glide, upside down
Twisted frame, my new crown
I'm gonna ride this bike till the break of day
Rolling through the garden like the fountain
Won't take it away
I'm not gonna change
I'm gonna live so hard, these broken wings
Will lift me to the sun so I can burn
Up in the flames
Again and again
Hello, goodbye
There's a million ways to die
Should've left me way back
Should've left me way back
By the roadside
Hello, goodbye
I was staring in the devil's eyes
Should've left me way back
Should've left me way back
By the roadside
It's a bitter taste
It's a jagged stain
It's a bitter taste
It's a jagged stain
Hello, goodbye
There's a million ways to die
Should've left me way back
Should've left me way back
By the roadside
It's a bitter taste
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English-American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the US. The name "Billy Idol" was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of him as "idle".
Idol began his music career in late 1976 as a guitarist in the punk rock band Chelsea. However, he soon left the group. With his former bandmate Tony James, Idol formed Generation X. With Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums on Chrysalis Records, then disbanded. In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career in collaboration with guitarist Steve Stevens. His debut studio album, Billy Idol (1982), was a commercial success. With music videos for singles "Dancing with Myself" and "White Wedding" Idol soon became a staple of then newly-established MTV.
Idol's second studio album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major commercial success, featuring hit singles "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face". The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of two million copies in the US. In 1986, he released Whiplash Smile. Having accumulated three UK top 10 singles ("Rebel Yell", "White Wedding" and "Mony Mony") Idol released a 1988 greatest hits album titled Idol Songs: 11 of the Best; the album went platinum in the United Kingdom. Idol then released Charmed Life (1990) and the concept album Cyberpunk (1993).
Idol spent the second half of the 1990s focusing on his personal life out of the public eye. He made a musical comeback with the release of Devil's Playground (2005) and again with Kings & Queens of the Underground (2014).
