[Verse 1]
She spied me through the traffic and was on me in a flash
Some soft soaked out-of-towner and an easy mark for cash
In contrast to her ragged cloak of filth and disrepair
Was a dark-eyed mystic beauty and a raven shock of hair
With what was feral frantic motion, her every move was laced
With the kind of desperation born of demons not yet faced
Quite clearly she was hounded by some not-to-distant-past
That was feasting on each moment like it just might be her last

[Chorus]
The girl on the street was once somebody's daughter
Yeah, the girl on the street was once somebody's friend
The girl on the street, one more lamb led to the slaughter
Where for three dimes and a quarter she gets nothing in the end

[Verse 2]
She hit me up with hunger, first things first you know
But a little too coquettish for my sympathies to show
She offered up her favors with a nod below the belt
And a parting shot at pity for the cards that she'd been dealt
"Its dope," said I, "Be truthful, its right there in your eyes
You know that stuff will kill you it's a loaded pack of lies"
She rolled her sleeve and slapped her vein and spat out "Three months clean
Don't pretend you know me, man. just cough up something green"
[Chorus]
The girl on the street was once somebody's daughter
The girl on the street was once somebody's friend
The girl on the street found you tailor made to order
And for three dimes and a quarter you get nothing in the end

[Verse 3]
So with the loose change in my pocket I let myself off light
When I could have helped her find some food and shelter for the night
Compassion for the dope sick twenty-something whore
Hit way too close to home for me to open up that door
So please don't say, "Go easy, so what if you came up short?"
I might have made a difference if I had only had the heart

[Chorus]
The girl on the street was once somebody's daughter, yeah
The girl on the street was once somebody's friend
The girl on the street, in spite of everything you taught her
Gone for three dimes and a quarter and you still lose her in the end