[Verse 1]
Washin' up them dirty ol' dishes
Mama's good china washed away in the flood
Ev'ry drop o' my common sense
Never was good enough
[Refrain]
To get by to get by
To get by lord to get by
[Verse 2]
I scribbled down some grocery list
The kind on the frigidaire
Rice's grocery down on main street
We got credit there
[Refrain]
To get by to get by
To get by lord to get by
[Verse 3]
Too young to buy cigarettes
So i stole em for a friend o' mine
He dont breathe too good these days
But ain't givin' up tryin'
[Refrain]
To get by to get by
To get by lord to get by
[Chorus]
The power of youth runs by and by
Stuck in a revolvin' door
Some high falutin' trick in my mind
Always cries out for more
To get by to get by
[Verse 4]
Dem bells and whistles they talk money
For the suits and ties in the cubicles
Oldtime mem'ries soon forgotten
We use to jus' make do
[Refrain]
To get by to get by
To get by lord to get by
[Verse 5]
Egyptians mummified their dead
The roman empire flourished
All them after life possessions
Makes me old and foolish
[Refrain]
To get by to get by
To get by lord to get by
[Chorus]
The power of youth runs by and by
Stuck in a revolvin' door
Some high falutin' trick in my mind
Always cries out for more
To get by to get by
[Verse 6]
Now
A dollar burns a hole in my pocket
From the magazines o' the american dream
The grass is always greener
On my neighbor's property
[Refrain]
To get by to get by
To get by lord to get by
[Chorus]
The power of youth runs by and by
Stuck in a revolvin' door
Some high falutin' trick in my mind
Always cries out for more
To get by to get by
[Chorus]
The power of youth runs by and by
Stuck in a revolvin' door
Some high falutin' trick in my mind
Always cries out for more
To get by to get by