A boy is born in Hardtime, Mississippi 一个男孩出生在Hardtime ，密西西比

Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty 事实并非如此漂亮的四墙包围

His parents give him love and affection 他的父母给他的爱和亲情

To keep him strong, movin' in the right direction 让他坚强，在正确的方向往前

Living just enough, just enough for the city, Yeah 生活刚好，刚好够的城市，是啊

   

His father works some days for fourteen hours 他的父亲的作品有些天14小时

And you can bet he barely makes a dollar 你可以打赌，他勉强让一块钱

His mother goes to scrub the floors for many 他的母亲去擦洗地板为许多

And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny 而且你最好相信她很难得到一分钱

Living just enough, just enough for the city 生活刚好，刚好够城市

   

His sister's black, but she is sho 'nuff pretty 他姐姐的黑色，但她笑这份厚礼漂亮

Her skirt is short, but Lord her legs are sturdy 她的裙子很短，但主她的腿是坚固

To walk to school, she's got to get up early 走路上学，她有早起

Her clothes are old, but never are they dirty 她的衣服是旧的，但绝不是他们脏

Living just enough, just enough for the city 生活刚好，刚好够城市

   

Her brother's smart, he's got more sense than many 哥哥的聪明，他得到了更多的意义比许多

His patience's long, but soon he won't have any 他耐心的长，但很快他不会有任何

To find a job is like a haystack needle, 'cause 找工作就像是大海里捞针，因为

Where he lives, they don't use colored people 他住的地方，他们不使用有色人种

Living just enough, just enough for the city 生活刚好，刚好够城市

Living just enough for the city 生活刚好够城市