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 girl's 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...