My life has been journey
Through a hallway full of doors
And as I walk I open some
While others I ignore
When I was young, behind each gate
I found a new surprise
Both good and bad, each path revealed
Strange sights unto my eyes
I did not walk the hall alone
For everyone I knew
Was also there, and opened doors
And saw those wonders, too
But as the years began to pass
Behind each portal found
No longer could I see the good
Through darkness all around
I ventured back to doors I knew
To find familiar pleasure
But still behind those vestibules
No longer I found treasure
It wasn't long before I saw
Another try the door
And still, he left with happiness
And brighter than before
The rooms, it seemed, had never changed
For anyone but me
Behind each threshold, dark and sorrow
Were all that I could see
No ingress I had ever known
Or new room that I tried
Presented me with happiness
Or fortune found inside
It seemed that I was cursed to live
A sad and painful life
Where joy and merriment had been
I now encountered strife
Then one day I met a man
Who gave to me a gift:
A magic lamp with which I could
The rooms' deep darkness lift
I opened up a room I knew
And lit the lantern's flame
The shadows fled, but in their place
Were emptiness and shame
I did not fear the blackness
Of the demons' murky lair
But neither did I see the riches
Others found in there
And so I use the lamp today
To guide me through the night
Although I wonder, with no joy found
Why bother bring the light?