A boy is born in hard time Mississippi Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty His parents give him love and affection To keep him strong moving in the right direction Living just enough, just enough for the city His father works some days for fourteen hours And you can bet he barely makes a dollar His mother goes to scrub the floors for many And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city, yeah His sister's black but she is sho 'nuff pretty Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy To walk to school she's got to get up early Her clothes are old but never are they dirty Living just enough, just enough for the city, um hum Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many His patience's long but soon he won't have any To find a job is like a haystack needle Because where he lives they don't use colored people Living just enough, just enough for the city Living just enough For the city Living just enough For the city Living just enough For the city Living just enough For the city Living just enough For the city Living just enough For the city