Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Donovan
Canonical path: /donovan/the-actor
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
The Actor
Read The Actor lyrics by Donovan on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
The Actor
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
The Actor
I lived a life and cast myself a role
I played a part of my own devising
I played it well, too well for healthy soul
Believing in my fantasizing
When all around me cheered and chanted
I took the accolade
I sold the lonely loser's wisdom
Of clay and wattle made
Of clay and wattle made.
The Actor
My character he loved the crowded nights
The easy pleasures of the rise to fame
The hardest acting still was yet to come
As high he rise, as far he fall again.
When all around me cheered and chanted
I played the masquerade
The teeny girls they screamed and panted
Too many bows he made
Too many bows he made.
The Actor
After a while the show came off the road
Settling down for the very first time
Man in the mirror with his make-up off
Gone from his lip the sad magical rhyme
No more around him cheered and chanted
He shun the big parade
Now he sounding weird and slanted
A slave of his trade
A slave of his trade.
The Actor
Phoenix he rises from the cleansing flame
Shedding the skin of past pretending
Fully awakened he cast off his frown
Happily naked uncontending
And all around him cheering, chanting
A wiser fool is he
The teeny kids in new wave ranting
Slum heroes to be
Slum heroes to be.
The Actor
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "The Actor"?
Donovan performs "The Actor", and this lyric page sits inside the Donovan catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "The Actor"?
Yes. The related section below points to Lord of the Dance and Breezes Of Patchulie with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Donovan?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Donovan's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on The Actor yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.