Tough - Kurtis Blow

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…