Billy and his bicycle screamed down the hill
His school buddies yelled at "You're gonna get killed"
Right as his wheels hit the ramp made of plywood and blocks
For a moment in time he soared above them
Evil Knievel had nothing on him
He was brave and foolish, young and carefree
He was launched
Flying over a ditch that was too wide to be jumped across
When he finally came down
Crashed into the ground
It wasn't the stars that he saw or how hard that he fell that they wanted to know
They all gathered 'round and said "Tell us, how high did you go?"
The whole town said Billy wouldn't get far
When he climbed on the Greyhound with his old guitar
But he hopped off in Nashville, caught a song headed straight to the top
He thought as he sang at the Grand Ole Opry
Hank Senior and Junior's got nothing on me
He was fresh, had the look, had a head, had a hat, he was hot
Flying up the new country charts until it all went pot
When he finally came down
Crashed back into town
It wasn't the stars that he saw or how hard that he fell that they wanted to know
They all gathered 'round and said "Tell us, how high did you go?"
How high did you go?
How high did you go?
So to all you big dreamers and disheartened schemers who find yourselves back in the hole
Skip all the low points and tell us, how high did you go
All we wanna know is how high did you go