Who draws the crowd and plays so loud,
Baby it's the guitar man.
Who's gonna steal the show, you know
Baby it's the guitar man,

He can make you love, he can make you cry
He will bring you down, then he'll get you high
Somethin' keeps him goin', miles and miles a day
To find another place to play.

Night after night who treats you right,
Baby it's the guitar man
Who's on the radio, you go listen
To the guitar man

Then he comes to town, and you see his face,
And you think you might like to take his place
Somethin' keeps him driftin' miles and miles away
Searchin' for the songs to play.

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along,
You want to get the meaning out of each and ev'ry song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home.

He can make you love, he can get you high
He will bring you down, then he'll make you cry
Somethin' keeps him movin, but no one seems to know
What it is that makes him go.

Then the lights begin to flicker and the sound is getting dim
The voice begins to falter and the crowds are getting thin
But he never seems to notice he's just got to find
Another place to play,
Either way got to play, Either way got to play.

(Hubbard)
Well, I quit my job down at the car wash,
Left my mama a goodbye note,
By sundown I'd left Kingston,
With my guitar under my coat,
I hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis,
Got a room at the YMCA,
For the next three weeks I went huntin' them nights,
Just lookin' for a place to play,
Well, I thought my pickin' would set 'em on fire,
But nobody wanted to hire a guitar man.

Well, I nearly 'bout starved to death down in Memphis,
I run outta money and luck,
So I bought me a ride down to Macon, Georgia,
On a overloaded poultry truck,
I thumbed on down to Panama City,
Started pickin' out some o' them all night bars,
Hopin' I could make myself a dollar,
Makin' music on my guitar,
I got the same old story at them all night piers,
There ain't no room around here for a guitar man
We don't need a guitar man, son

So I slept in the hobo jungles,
Roamed a thousand miles of track,
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama,
At a club they call Big Jack's,
A little four-piece band was jammin',
So I took my guitar and I sat in,
I showed 'em what a band would sound like,
With a swingin' little guitar man.
Show 'em, son

If you ever take a trip down to the ocean,
Find yourself down around Mobile,
Make it on out to a club called Jack's,
If you got a little time to kill,
Just follow that crowd of people,
You'll wind up out on his dance floor,
Diggin' the finest little five-piece group,
Up and down the Gulf of Mexico,
Guess who's leadin' that five-piece band,
Well, wouldn't ya know, it's that swingin' little guitar man.

The TV-special verse:

Well, I came a long way from the carwash,
Got to where I said I'd get
Now that I'm here I know for sure
I really ain't got there yet
Think I'll start all over
Swing my guitar over my back
I'm gonna get myself back on the track
I'll never, never ever look back
I'll never be more than what I am
Wouldn't you know
I' m a swinging little Guitar man

The Guitar Man

Who draws the crowd?
Who plays so loud?
Baby it's the guitar man
Who's gonna steal the show
You know baby it's the guitar man
He can make you love he can make you cry
He will bring you down
He will get you high
Something keeps him going
Miles and miles away
To find another place to play
And night after night who treats you right
Baby it's the guitar man
Who's on the radio?
You know baby it's the guitar man
When he comes to town and you see his face
And you think you might like to take his place
Something keeps him drifting miles and miles away
Searching for the songs to play
Then you listen to the music and you'd like to sing along
And you want to get the meaning out of each and every song
And you find yourself a message and some words to call your own and take 'em home
He can make you love he can get you high
He will bring you down he will make you cry
Something keeps him moving
But no one seems to know
What it is that makes him go
Then the lights begin to flicker and the sound is getting dim
The voice begins to falter and the crowds are getting thin
But he never seems to notice he's just got to find another place to play
(Fade away)
(Got to play)
(Fade away)

Lyrics provided by http://www.azlyrics.com

Guitar man, tell me what your secret am
Tell me please, can you put my mind at ease
When you're standing in the spotlight
With all the girls around
I was wondering how you do it
How you make that sound, guitar man
Tell me what your secret am
Tell me please, can you put my mind at ease
Your fingers move so swiftly
Across those silver strings
It looks so nice and easy
How you make it sing, guitar man
Tell me what your secret am
Tell me please, can you put my mind at ease
Guitar man, in a guitar jam
Playing low, playing slow
Playing loud, working the crowd
Playing high, you seem to fly
Guitar man, tell me what your secret am
Uh, hey man, have you seen my Stratocaster
Hand me that Gibson over there, will you
Let my try your Martin, man
Do you mind
Plug it in that Marshall
Turn it up a little bit louder