[Verse 1]
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

[Chorus]
Living just enough, just enough for the city...Ee ha!

[Verse 2]
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 better believe she hardly gets a penny

[Chorus]
Living just enough, just enough for the city...Ee ha!

[Verse 3]
His sister's black but she is sure enough pretty
Her skirt is short but Lord, her legs are sturdy
Just to walk to school, she got to get up early
Her clothes are old but never are they dirty

[Chorus]
Living just enough, Lord, just enough for city... Wait a minute!
[Verse 4]
Her brother's smart, he's got more sense than many
His patience's long but soon he won't have any
Just to find a job is like a haystack needle
Cause where he lives, they don't use colored people

[Chorus]
Living just enough, Lord, just enough for the city... Y'all hear me

[Breakdown]
Yes, I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city (I can't help myself)
I'm living just enough for the city (Yes I am)
I'm living just enough for the city (I'm so tired of living for the city)
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city (Somebody help me, here)
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city
(Lord, I'm so tired everyday of my life)
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city (Come on, now)
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city
{Spoken:}
Lord, what am I doing here?
With all this pain and sufferin' and misery
With all the rape and the drugs and the murder in the streets
And the rats and the roaches crawling all over everything
And I can't find a job nowhere
My electricity has been turned off
My gas don't burn no more
And the water has stopped flowing
And my poor family is cold and hungry
Oh Lord, why has thou forsaken me?

[Verse 5]
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

[Chorus]
Living just enough, Lord, just enough for city... Well alright!

[Verse 6]
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, hell, the world will soon be over
[Chorus]
Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city!!!!

[Breakdown]
Lord, I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city (Oh, yes I am)
I'm living just enough for the city
(Well I am, just for the city)
I'm living just enough for the city (Somebody help me)
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough for the city (Lord, just living)
I'm living just enough for the city
(That's all I can do, just keep on living for the city)
I'm living just enough for the city
I'm living just enough....