No argument that the song is about Smalley, but what makes the song great is that it isn't just about Smalley. It could have turned into just a story song about one guy (and yeah, the story's all there), but there's plenty of other stuff in here that keeps me coming back to it... The story of the starving artist just doing whatever he has to do in support of that art; the idea that feeling sorry for yourself is just a waste of time; and, of course: "some people stop living well before they die... ... and I got another show to do..."
No argument that the song is about Smalley, but what makes the song great is that it isn't just about Smalley. It could have turned into just a story song about one guy (and yeah, the story's all there), but there's plenty of other stuff in here that keeps me coming back to it... The story of the starving artist just doing whatever he has to do in support of that art; the idea that feeling sorry for yourself is just a waste of time; and, of course: "some people stop living well before they die... ... and I got another show to do..."