Living for the City
A boy is born in hard time MississippiSurrounded by four walls that ain't so prettyHis parents give him love and affectionTo keep him strong moving in the right directionLiving just enough, just enough for the city...ee ha!
His father works some days for fourteen hoursAnd you can bet he barely makes a dollarHis mother goes to scrub the floor for manyAnd you'd best believe she hardly gets a pennyLiving just enough, just enough for the city...yeah
His sister's black but she is sho 'nuff prettyHer skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdyTo walk to school she's got to get up earlyHer clothes are old but never are they dirtyLiving just enough, just enough for the city...um hum
Her brother's smart he's got more sense than manyHis patience's long but soon he won't have anyTo find a job is like a haystack needleCause where he lives they don't use colored peopleLiving just enough, just enough for the city...Living just enough...For the city...ooh,ooh[repeat several times]
His hair is long, his feet are hard and grittyHe spends his love walking the streets of New York CityHe's almost dead from breathing on air pollutionHe tried to vote but to him there's no solutionLiving just enough, just enough for the city...yeah, yeah, yeah!
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrowAnd that it motivates you to make a better tomorrowThis place is cruel no where could be much colderIf we don't change the world will soon be overLiving just enough, just enough for the city!!!!
La, la, la, la, la, la,Da Ba Da Da Da Da Da DaDa Da Da Da Da DaDa Ba Da Da Da Da Da Da Da[Repeat to end]