The Old Philosopher

Hiya folks
Ya say ya lost your job today?
Ya say it's 4 A.M. and your kids ain't home from school yet?
Ya say your wife went out for a corned beef sandwich last weekend
The corned beef sandwich came back but she didn't?
Ya say your furniture is out all over the sidewalk
'Cause ya can't pay the rent and ya got chapped lips and paper cuts
And your feet's all swollen up and blistered from pounding the pavement looking for work?
Is that what's troubling ya, fellow?

Well, lift your head up high
And take a walk in the sun with dignity and stick-to-it-ness
And ya show the world, ya show the world where to get off
Youll never give up, never give up
Never give up that ship

Hey there friend
Ya say your radiators never worked all winter
And now that it's summer, they started up again and ya can't turn them off?
Ya say your wife sent your light weight suits to the cleaners
And that means you'll have to wear your itchy tweeds this morning
When they say it'll hit 106 and ya gotta meet an important businessman in an hour
And your bridge just broke and ya pasted it together with bubble gum
And ya hope it don't fall apart while you're doing some fast talking to this man?
And, and your shoelace just busted
And ya opened a big cut on your cheek trying to even out your sideburns
And your daughter's going out with a convict
And your wife just confessed she gave your last sixty dollars as a deposit on an airplane hangar?
Is that what's troubling ya, friend?

Well, lift your head up high
And take a walk in the sun with dignity and stick-to-it-ness
And ya show the world, ya show the world where to get off
Youll never give up, never give up
Never give up that ship

Hey there, cousin
Ya say ya can't pull your car out of the mud
And you're in the middle of nowhere and it's pouring rain
And ya can't get the top back up and your paycheck's all blurred
And your foot went right through the gas and your girl's screaming bloody murder
Shes scared of the dark and a stroke of lightning splits your motor in half
And your suit's shrinking up fast and ya start up the windy road on foot
And sixty yards of barbed wire hits ya right smack in the puss
And ya both fall down in the mud and then a wild animal comes over
And runs away with your shoes and your car blows up suddenly
And your windshield wiper ends up in your mouth
And ya can't move and the mud's rising up to your nostrils
And you're sinking fast and ya don't hear your girl screaming anymore?
Is that what's on your mind, cousin?

Well, lift your head up high
And take a walk in the sun with dignity and stick-to-it-ness
And ya show the world, ya show the world where to get off
Youll never give up, never give up
Never give up that ship

And now, this is the old philosopher saying, so long, folks