There are certain times I feel like a human being There are other times I just don't know There are often times when some kind of other thing Makes itself known and takes control I am an animal — I am in an experiment I'm a wild beast — I'm on a leash that chokes I'm choking by the throat and I know it's evident They're going to poke me until I croak They're going to beat me until I'm broke I am an animal that they have tried to civilize But being civilized means keeping quiet They might be lying when they're trying to sympathize Still, I strive to keep the lion inside We all got to fight the violent side That lion's eyes are shining brightly in the night And the prey in his sights, he is a spineless fool Down inside, I'm simply terrified to be alive And I'm like you When the lion is loose, I gotta try to calm it down And that's a lot to swallow, even with my big mouth Oh lord, I think that I'm about to vomit now But that little lion needs his whip He needs his whip and he needs it quick That lion inside, he is a kind of friend to me That lion and I, we got a kind of groove That lion inside, he is the kind of enemy That is so hard to remove He's always got something to prove And I do too