Skid Row (Downtown)

Alarm goes off at seven

And you start uptown

You put in your eight hours for the powers that have always been

Sing it, child

Till it's 5:00 PM

Then you go downtown

Where the folks are broke, you go downtown

Where your life's a joke, you go downtown

When you buy your token, you go home to Skid Row

Home to Skid Row

Yes, you go downtown

Where the cabs don't stop, downtown

Where the food is slop, downtown

Where the hopheads flop in the snow, down on Skid Row

Uptown, you cater to a million jerks

Uptown, you're messengers and mailroom clerks

Eating all your lunches at the hotdog carts

The bosses take your money and they break your hearts

Uptown, you cater to a million whores

You disinfect terrazzo on their bathroom floors

Your morning's tribulation, afternoon's a curse

And five o'clock is even worse

That's when you go downtown

Where the guys are drips, downtown

Where they rip your slips, downtown

Where relationships are no-go, down on Skid Row

Down on Skid Row

Down on Skid Row

Down on Skid Row

Down on Skid Row

Down on Skid Row

Down on Skid Row

Poor all my life, I've always been poor

I keep asking God what I'm for

And he tells me, "Gee, I'm not sure

Sweep that floor, kid", oh!

I started life as an orphan

A child of the street, here on Skid Row

He took me in, gave me shelter

A bed, crust of bread, and a job

Treats me like dirt, calls me a slob

Which I am, so I live

Downtown

That's your home address, you live downtown

When your life's a mess, you live downtown

Where depression's just status quo, down on Skid Row

Someone show me a way to get out of here

'Cause I constantly pray I'll get out of here

Please, won't somebody say I'll get out of here

Someone give me my shot, or I'll rot here

Show me how and I will, I'll get out of here

I'll start climbing uphill and get out of here

Someone tell me I still could get out of here

Someone tell Lady Luck that I'm stuck here

Gee, it sure would be swell to get out of here

Bid the gutter farewell and get out of here

I'd move heaven and hell to get out of Skid

I'd do I don't know what to get out of Skid

But a hell of a lot to get out of Skid

People tell me there's not a way out of Skid

But believe me, I gotta get out of Skid Row