In Constant Pursuit of Gold

What do you tell a man in constant pursuit of gold?
With wild eyes and desperate hands
A mad craving in the depths of his belly
Always searching, never stopping

Just around the next corner
Hidden in an unfound stream
There is gold! he says
Mountains and mountains of lustrous gold!

It's a dangerous fever that's overtaken him
He sold the house and left his dog
No time for family, no time for friends
The hunger pushes him forward, alone

What do you say to such a man?
Tell him there is no gold?
Of course there is
The world is full of gold

Maybe not around this corner, but the next
Maybe not in this stream, but one more over
He is not wrong in his dreaming
but neither is he right

You tell him that he will find his gold
and fill his pockets to the brim
He will find even more yet
Bags bursting from the weight of it all

But there is no one at home to bring the treasure to
An empty house awaits after his cravings are done
It is this and this alone
that makes him a very foolish man