Self-Made Man

I started out with round about a million, give or take
A pittance in the greater scheme of things, for Heaven's sake!
I still recall that sunny day – I was maybe 17
Father showed me the penthouse pad in a glossy magazine
"It's yours," he said the moment I'd unveiled my master plan
And that was when I knew that I
Was destined to be a self-made man

With only a few of Dad's connections there to see me through
I bought a rather nice hotel like self-made people do
Financing it through borrowing as I'd always been advised
I fortunately walked away before they'd realised
Around four-hundred million had slithered down the pan
But what's a million here and there
To a wheelin', dealin' self-made man?

I learned back in the early days that when we have to choose
It always must be someone else's money that we lose
I've only met two kinds of folk, financiers and fools
But when you are a self-made man you play by self-made rules
I've now successfully derailed the media caravan
Who've always tried to put me down
I am, without doubt, a self-made man

These journalists persistently demand exactitude
And argue I misrepresent the facts to suit my mood
Wherever I've been called upon, I've stated my defence
That all of my insolvencies have made strategic sense
It was, when my casinos failed, triumphant rather than
The way the media painted it
I am, as you know, a self-made man

With little more than family and a few empowered friends
A certain kind of ruthlessness and the means to will the ends
And a readiness to trample over weaklings in my way
They're still surprised I ever got to where I am today
I'm criticized for bankruptcies and a short attention span
But overall, they still recall
I am, as I've said, a self-made man

I have a certain genius that's been there since I began
I guess that's how I knew that I
Was destined to be a self-made man