Living on a lighted stage
Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel

In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage


Cast in this unlikely role
Ill-equipped to act
With insufficient tact

One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact


[Chorus:]
Living in the limelight
The universal dream

For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation

Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme


Living in a fish eye lens
Caught in the camera eye

I have no heart to lie
I can't pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend


All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players

Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage


[Chorus]