Tough

I don't want a lot I want just enough

So why has it got to be so damn tough

Livin' on the uptown side of jive

Hustlin' a buck to stay alive

Lookin' for a ten and they give your five

Well it's tough

You talk to the boss the boss is gruff

You ask for a raise and they call your bluff

You may get some but it's never enough

Because it's tough

Strong, like a magnum force

Rough, like a new divorce

Mean, like a three-time loser

Bad, like an L.A. cruiser

Down, like a limousine

Blind, like a submarine

Hard, like cold concrete

Tough, that's the rhythm of the beat

You hit the street and you look for work

You don't want to be some welfare jerk

But I wonder how you get to be Captain Kirk

It's tough

Now Kirk has a ship called the Enterprise

He cuts the aliens down to size

But I wonder what he'd do with the uptown guys

They're tough

Tough, try to get some cash

When you're looking for a raise and they give you trash

Rough, when you got it like that

And your woman's running 'round with a baseball bat

Hard, try to play it cool

When the girl's all know you're an out of work fool

Tough, how it seems to be

Wish I had somebody lookin' out for me

Try to find a lover if you dare

Even if you do she just won't care

Well no one ever said that that life is fair

Because it's tough

Saw a fine young lady the other day

I started my rap, I had a lot to say

But she said she was goin' with a C.P.A.

Now it's tough

Strong, like a superhero

Rough, like a bank book zero

Mean, like the Oakland Raiders

Bad, like the Caped Crusaders

Down, like a home run ball

Blind, like an umpire's call

Hard, like a cruel deceit

Tough, that's the rhythm of the beat

You worked all year to buy a brand new car

A Coupe de Ville or a Jaguar

But you didn't make enough for a good cigar

Because it's tough

So you went to the bank to try to get a loan

But the guy behind the desk had a heart as stone

He said, "You don't need a car, use the telephone"

It's tough

Tough, it's a way of life, lost your job

Your money, but not your wife

Rough, gettin' in the black, Uncle Sam's in your pocket

And your woman's on your back

Hard, that's the deal

Had to get a loan just to buy a meal

Tough, that's how it goes

When it's gettin' better, nobody knows

Strong, like Chocolate Thunder

Rough, like Stevie Wonder

Mean, like Brucie The Shark

Bad, like the Raider's Ark

Down, like Sugar's Glove

Blind, like a man in love

Hard, like a big defeat

Tough, that's the rhythm of the beat

Tough, that's the word

Unemployment is all I heard

Rough, when you start your day

Watch the finance man tow your car away

Hard, to hold a job

When you've been replaced by a little blue knob

Tough, like a dollar steak

Ain't someone ever gonna give me a break