[Intro]
I don't want a lot, I want just enough
So why has it got to be so damn tough?

Livin' on the uptown side of jive
Hustlin' a buck to stay alive
Lookin' for a ten and they give your five
Well it's tough
You talk to the boss, the boss is gruff
You ask for a raise and they call your bluff
You may get some, but it's never enough
Because it's tough

STRONG: Like a magnum force
ROUGH: Like a new divorce
MEAN: Like a three-time loser
BAD: Like an L.A. cruiser
DOWN: Like a limousine
BLIND: Like a submarine
HARD: Like cold concrete
TOUGH: That's the rhythm of the beat

You hit the street and you look for work
You don't want to be some welfare jerk
But I wonder how you get to be Captain Kirk
It's tough
Now Kirk has a ship called the Enterprise
He cuts the aliens down to size
But I wonder what he'd do with the uptown guys
They're tough
TOUGH:
Try to get some cash
When you're looking for a raise and they give you trash

ROUGH:
When you got it like that
And your woman's running 'round with a baseball bat

HARD:
Try to play it cool
When the girls all know you're an out of work fool

TOUGH:
How it seems to be
Wish I had somebody lookin' out for me

Try to find a lover if you dare
Even if you do she just won't care
Well no one ever said that that life is fair
Because it's tough
Saw a fine young lady the other day
I started my rap, I had a lot to say
But she said she was goin' with a C.P.A
Now it's tough

STRONG: Like a superhero
ROUGH:Like a bank book zero
MEAN: Like the Oakland Raiders
BAD: Like the Caped Crusaders
DOWN: Like a homerun ball
BLIND: Like an umpire's call
HARD: Like a cruel deceit
TOUGH: That's the rhythm of the beat
You worked all year to buy a brand new car
A Coupe de Ville or a Jaguar
But you didn't make enough for a good cigar
Because it's tough
So you went to the bank to try to get a loan
But the guy behind the desk had a heart of stone
He said "You don't need a car, use the telephone!"
It's tough

TOUGH:
It's a way of life, lost your job
Your money, but not your wife

ROUGH:
Gettin' in the black, Uncle Sam's in your pocket
And your woman's on your back

HARD:
That's the deal, had to get a loan just to buy a meal

TOUGH:
That's how it goes, when it's gettin' better, nobody knows

STRONG: Like Chocolate Thunder
ROUGH: Like Stevie Wonder
MEAN: Like Brucie The Shark
BAD: Like the Raider's Ark
DOWN: Like Sugar's Glove
BLIND: Like a man in love
HARD: Like a big defeat
TOUGH: That's the rhythm of the beat
TOUGH: That's the word, unemployment is all I heard
ROUGH: When you start your day, watch the finance man tow your car away
HARD: To hold a job when you've been replaced by a little blue knob
TOUGH: Like a dollar steak, ain't someone ever gonna give me a break?

Tough.....