It recently came to my attention that today marks the 700th anniversary of the death of the “Supreme Poet”, the Italian known to the world simply as Dante. His use of a single name was years ahead of its time, as were his writings. In 1997, I wrote and recorded a song in which I attempted to distill the essence of “Inferno” – the first book of his monumental Divine Comedy. This is what I came up with…

Inferno (Everybody Cries Sometimes)
Billy Squier, I.M.E. / Songs of the Knight / ASCAP

Started out at the break of dawn
braved the woods for the light of day
With a smile and a dream and a hope so warm
half way home I had lost my way

Here in my world I circle round and round
Here in my world it’s a long way down

I look up to the sky
I reach down in my heart where my feet trod on
emptiness wherever I go
Where a good man will fall and a sinner may rise above
but one destiny we all will know

Everybody cries sometimes
Everybody hurts so bad
Tell me ’bout your hard times baby
I already been through that

Tamed three beasts who would do me harm
sought a wise man to lead me to…
Put my strength on a woman’s arm
that ancient glory won’t see you through

Here in my world fortune’s wheel spins round
Here in my world I’m neither up nor down

Every virtue is sin set to rupture when doubt
makes it easy to sacrifice the god you know
There’s no comfort within – only pleasure without
as you realize there’s one more circle yet to go

Everybody cries sometimes
Everybody’s got their cross to bear
Spit up all your hard luck baby
Life can treat you so unfair
Catch you when you’re not aware

Cache your valuables in the vault
choose your morals or loyalty
Humanity is your own damn fault
though it’s not what we choose to be

Lack of hope breeds desire and you sacrifice
everything to satisfy the urge to know
Be you guilty of love, or a penchant to falsify
we don’t go where we don’t want to go

Everybody cries sometimes
Everybody moves so bad
Tell me ’bout your hard times baby
I already tried all that

Everybody…sometimes
gonna feel so sad
Have another drink my darlin’
Heaven knows I’ll stand you that

Everybody…sometimes
gonna feel so sad
Everybody…one time
Lord knows I’ll drink to that