[Intro:]
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 homerun 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 os 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

Tough....