[Verse 1]
Billy the bum lived by the thumb
And sang of the hobo's delight
He'd prove he could run twice as fast as the sun
By losing his shadow at night
Now he loved every girl in this curly-headed world
But no one will know, it seems
For two twisted legs and a childhood disease
Left Billy just a bum in his dreams

[Chorus]
And he was just a gentle boy
A real florescent light
Cried pennies on Sunday morning
Laughed nickels on Saturday night
And your bullets, they can't harm him
Nor your knives tear him apart
Humiliation killed him
God bless his little heart

[Verse 2]
Now he lived all alone in a run-down home
Near the site of the old railroad track
Where the trains used to run carrying freight by the ton
And blow the whistle as Billy'd wave back
But the children around Billy's hometown
Seemed to have nothin' better to do
Then run around his house with their tongues from their mouth
Making fun of that crippled old fool
[Chorus]
And he was just a gentle boy
A real florescent light
Cried pennies on Sunday morning
Laughed nickels on Saturday night
And your bullets, they can't harm him
Nor your knives tear him apart
Humiliation killed him
God bless his little heart

[Verse 3]
Now some folks a-wait and some folks a-pray
For Jesus to rise up again
But none of these folks in their holy cloaks
Ever took Billy on as a friend
For pity's a crime, it ain't worth a dime
To a person who's really in need
Just treat 'em the same as you would your own name
Next time that your heart starts to bleed

[Chorus]
For he was just a gentle boy
A real florescent light
Cried pennies on Sunday morning
Laughed nickels on Saturday night
And your bullets, they can't harm him
Nor your knives tear him apart
Humiliation killed him
God bless his little heart