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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

by John Sebastian

on Welcome Back (1976)

Baby, baby, baby, I got trouble in mind
I can't hide what I see
But I wish that I was blind
We're dancin' to the music and we're both in time
But when the music's over
I find that I've been left behind

One step forward, two steps back
It's a crazy dance
Darlin' do you think that there's
A chance for our romance
Baby, baby, baby, we're comin' apart I fear
'Cause each time I take one step forward
You take two to the rear

The Foreign Legion, the Sudan region
The Bedouins front and rear
The captain turned to the ranks
And he said I need one volunteer here
Volunteer take one step forward
Everyone else stand still
Well you do the rest
They took one step forward
And I had to go up the hill

One step forward, two steps back
It's a crazy dance
Darlin' do you think that there's
A chance for our romance
Soldier, soldier, soldier
Didn't you know from the first
Volunteer take one step forward
You take two in reverse

One step forward, two steps back
The situation, the aggravation
It's gettin' worse every day
Every time I go to leave
She tells me I should stay
I'd almost changed my mind
I'd started to unpack
But as my feet took one step forward
She took two steps back