You were born in a room in a house in a block
In a street in a town somewhere
Just another damn kid today with no tomorrow
And your mother would work every hour God sent
And you'd know the way she'd feel
So you learned to beg and steal but never borrow

A kid needs his old man and you needed yours
But your old man was not around
He was passing his time away doing time
So you and your ma had to make it alone
And while she would work all day
You tried to find a way to make a dime

And with the cap in your hand
You were known down the street
As "Cody the crazy kid out on his beat"
And it's a long road to the top of the world
Cody the kid with the old man inside
And he'll go the same way, I'll bet my hide
And it's a long road to the top of the world

When you heard from your ma that your old man had died
In the room with the quilted walls
You seemed to hear the call and see the sign
And at seventeen years you'd the piece in your hand
And your fate and your future too
Now it was ma and you, the grand design

And you killed and you robbed on your way to the top
Never stopping to turn around
You never heard the sound of your old man crying
The top of the world it was yours for the grabs
And the end justified the means
Till the sound of the old sirens would drown your dying

And with the piece in your hand you're the king of the night
But somebody told me and somebody's right
That it's a long road to the top of the world
Cody the kid with his sights set too high
And he'll never stop until he reaches the sky
And it's a long road to the top of the world