Now whatcha gonna do
When the welfare turn it's back on you?
Whatcha gonna do, ye
When the welfare turn it's back on you?
You'll be standin' there stranded
And there won't be a thing you can do

Now you look all through your house, yeah
Yes, and you can't even find a piece of bread
You look all through your house, I know you do
Yes, you can't even find a piece of bread
I sometimes begin to wonder, yeah
Yes, if you'd be better off, be better off dead

Lord have mercy

(Guitar solo)

You have to go down to the welfare
Every month to report
And some of the things they say to you
Will sure enough get your goat
If you tell them that you're sick
You better have a bad cough, lord have mercy
Cause if you don't, they'll be ready to throw you off,
I know they will

Whatcha gonna do, lord have mercy
When the welfare turns its back on you?
Yeah, you'll be standin' there stranded
Yes, and there ain't a thing that you can do