Beat up little seagull
On a marble stair
Trying to find the ocean
He's looking everywhere

Hard times in the city
And a hard time by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothing there for free

Hooker on the corner
She's waiting for a train
Drunk lying on the sidewalk
Sleeping in the rain

They're trying to hide their faces
And they're trying to hide their eyes
'Cause this city's dying
And they don't know why

Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live
Just to live?
Get my sister Sandy
And my sweet little brother Ray
Buy a bigger wagon
To haul us all away

Living in the country
Where the mountains are high
So high
Ain't never going back there
'Til the day that I die

Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live
Just to live?

Ain't it hard just to live
Just to live?
(Repeated)