Living For the City

2 credits

Heard in the following movies & tv shows

The Get Down • s1e4

2016

277

Scandal • s3e10

2012

476

Lyrics

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 floors for many And you'd best believe, she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city His sister's black, but she is sho'nuff 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, yeah Everybody, city, yeah (Living just enough for the city, whoa) Ain't nothin' but the city (Living just enough for the city, whoa) Everybody, city, yeah (Living just enough for the city, whoa) Ain't nothin' but the city (Living just enough for the city, whoa) Living for the city, yeah (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) The funky, cryin' city (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) Living for the city Ain't nothin' but the city (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) Everybody clap you hand together now (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) For the city (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) For the city, yeah, yeah (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) (Living just enough, for the city, whoa) The bus for New York City! Hey bus driver, I'm getting on that, hold it Thanks a lot Wow, New York, just like I pictured it Skyscrapers and everything Psst, hey, hey brother, hey come here slick Hey you look, you look hip man Hey, you wanna make yourself five bucks, man? Yeah, brother Look here, run this across the street for me right quick Okay, run this across the street for me What? (Up against that goddamn car!) Huh? (Let's go) I didn't know, what? Gimme your hands up, you punk I'm just going across the street Put that leg up, shut your mouth Hell no, what did I do? Okay, turn around, turn around Put your hands behind your back, let's go, lets 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 the life walking the streets of New York City He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution He tried and fought, but to him there's no solution Living just enough, just enough for the city (yeah, yeah, yeah) 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