Every day held a new surprise
I watched the hunger burning in my sister's eyes
The paste-board shack we called home
Would haunt me in my dreams
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times

We never knew anything groovy
A dime meant bread and not a movie
The muscles that controlled my smile were rarely ever used
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times

Had to go 'cause I could see I wasn't meant for poverty
The family ties were broken soon and I went off to find the moon

So I sit on a bench in Jackson Square
I drink my wine and I breathe the midnight air
Tomorrow I'll just hit the street and bum another dime
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times

Had to go 'cause I could see I wasn't meant for poverty
The family ties were broken soon and I went off to find the moon

So I sit on a bench in Jackson Square

I drink my wine and I breathe the midnight air
Tomorrow I'll just hit the street and bum another dime
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times