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 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