I'm Not Going to Win

I'm not going to win

They show me numbers
I look at the numbers
They tell me the numbers
Don't mean
What they clearly do mean

But I humor them
I pretend I can't count
I pretend I don't understand percentages
I pretend I'm stupid than I am

There are many idiots
In politics
But I can say
With little boasting
That I am not one of them

If I were
I'd be getting elected
But I'm not
I'm not going to win

Did I think I would when I started?

I thought I stood a decent chance
I thought I firmly believed in my beliefs
I thought I could, and yes, this is a cliche, but--

I think I could bring about change
And help the poor
And improve living conditions
And save the world

And two days after I announced my candidacy
I knew I wouldn't win

So why did I keep going?

Because it's very easy
To convince yourself
You could win
When you're surrounded
By shouting supporters
And microphones
Begging for your voice

It was nice to talk and be heard
And be echoed
I'll miss that

I'll miss my words
Having weight

I'll miss seeing my opinions
In print

Opinions look so lovely
In print

I'm not going to win
But I haven't played dirty

I'm not going to win
But I haven't compromised myself

I'm not going to win
But I can hold my head up high

The problem is
That as nice as all those other things are

The point is to win

The thing is--

All of that doesn't mean much
Unless you win