Stevie Wonder is one of the most critically and commercially successful musical performers of the 20th century.
This song was written for Wonder's 1973 album Innervisions. It depicts the life of a black man living in the civil rights era. The protagonist of the song moves to New York to escape the grinding poverty and racism of the south, but upon arriving in the city, he is profiled and arrested by the police. Wonder played all the instruments on the song, which reached number 1 on the R&B charts. It is considered one of the first soul songs to deal explicitly with systemic racism.
A boy is born in hard time Mississippi Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty His parents give him love and affection To keep him strong moving in the right direction Living just enough, just enough for the city His father works some days for fourteen hours And you can bet he barely makes a dollar His mother goes to scrub the floors for many And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city yeah His sister's black but she is sho 'nuff pretty Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy To walk to school she's got to get up early Her clothes are old but never are they dirty Living just enough, just enough for the city Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many His patience's long but soon he won't have any To find a job is like a haystack needle 'Cause where he lives they don't use colored people Living just enough, just enough for the city Just enough for the city Living for the city Just enough for the city Enough for the city Just enough for the city Living for the city Just enough for the city Enough for the city Just enough for the city Living for Just enough for the city Living for the city Just enough for the city Just enough for the city For the city Just enough for the city For the city Just enough for the city For the city Just enough for the city For the city Bus for New York City! Hey bus driver, I'm getting on that horse Thanks a lot Wow, New York, just like I pictured it Skyscrapers and everything Hey hey brother, hey come here slick Hey you look, you look hip man Hey you wanna make yourself five bucks man You look hip Run this across the street for me right quick Okay, run this across the street for me What? Huh? I didn’t know! Put your hands up you punk! I’m just going across the street Lay down, shut your mouth Hell no, what did I do? Okay, turn around, turn around, put your hands behind your back, let’s go, let’s go A jury of your peers having found you guilty, ten years What? Come on, come on, get in that cell nigga, god, lord His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty He spends his life walking the streets of New York City He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution He tried to vote but to him there's no solution Living just enough, just enough for the city I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow This place is cruel no where could be much colder If we don't change the world will soon be over Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city La, la, la, la, la, la Da Ba Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Ba Da Da Da Da Da Da Da