[Intro]
Oh!

[Verse 1]
Sea of hurt, I feel the waves of pain
And now the tides come in again
I'm caught in a vicious cycle of despair
Give me the courage to face another day
Oh!

[Chorus]
Oh, sing a song of joy
Sweet childhood, never desert me
Time for celebration, Oh!
Overcome with a sense of elation
I'll never let you get to me
Survival is my victory
Time for celebration, Oh!
Overcome with a sense of elation

[Verse 2]
I sighed in silence - I was mourning
I said sorry a thousand times
I cried aloud to God for all my failings
But God seemed deaf as well as blind
Oh!
[Chorus]
Oh, sing a song of joy
Sweet childhood, never desert me
Time for celebration, Oh!
Overcome with a sense of elation
I'll never let you get to me
Survival is my victory
Time for celebration, Oh!
Overcome with a sense of elation

[Verse 3]
We drank and smoked and talked until the dawn
We shared our problems and our food
Telling tales of courage and resolution
Through all the hardships we'd endured
Oh!

[Chorus]
Oh, sing a song of joy
Sweet childhood, never desert me
Time for celebration, Oh!
Overcome with a sense of elation
I'll never let you get to me
Survival is my victory
Time for celebration, Oh!
Overcome with a sense of elation