Living for the City

A boy is born in hard time Mississippi,
Surrounded by four walls, that ain't so pretty.
His parents give him love and affection
To keep him strong moving in the right direction,
Living just enough, just enough for the city.
His father works some days for fourteen hours,
And you can bet he barely makes a dollar.
His mother goes to scrub the floor for many,
And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny,
Living just enough, just enough for the city, yeah!

His sister's black, but she is sure enough pretty,
Her skirt is short but, Lord, her legs are sturdy!
To walk to school, she's got to get up early,
Her clothes are old but never are they dirty,
Living just enough, just enough for the city.
Her brother's smart, he's got more sense than many,
His patience's long but soon he won't have any,
To find a job is like a haystack needle,
‘Cause where he lives, they don't use colored people,
Living just enough, just enough for the city.

Living just enough for the city.

–	Bus for New York City!
–	Hey, bus driver, I'm gettin' on that, hol' up! Thanks a lot.
–	Wow, New York, just like I pictured it, skyscrapers and everything.
–	Hey, hey, brotha, hey, come here, slick. Hey, you look, you look, hip, man! Hey, you wanna make yourself five bucks, man? You look, hip, run this across the street for me right quick? Okay, run this across the street for me.
–	What? Huh? I didn't know!
–	Put your hands up, you punk!
–	I'm just goin' across the street!
–	Lay down, shut your mouth!
–	Hell no! What I do?
–	Okay, turn around, turn around, put your hands behind your back, let's go, let's go!
–	A jury of your peers having found you guilty. Ten years.
–	What?
–	Come on, come on, get in that cell, nigger! God, Lord!

His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty,
He spends his life walking the streets of New York City,
He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution,
He tried to vote but to him there's no solution,
Living just enough, just enough for the city.
I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow,
And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow,
This place is cruel, nowhere could be much colder,
If we don't change, the world will soon be over,
Living just enough, stop giving, just enough for the city.