Give It Up
Michael McDonald Lyrics

In this proud land we grew up strong
Growing up in this nation, we were trained to be strong.

We were wanted all along
Everyone needed us and we were in high demand.

I was taught to fight, taught to win
I was taught how to fight and win in life.

I never thought I could fail
Losing was never an option in my mind.

No fight left or so it seems
It appears that I have lost all my strength.

I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
As a man, all my dreams have faded away.

I've changed my face, I've changed my name
I've tried to change who I am but it hasn't worked.

But no one wants you when you lose
When you are down and out, people tend to ignore you.

Don't give up 'Cause you have friends Don't give up You're not beaten yet Don't give up I know you can make it good
Don't lose hope because you have friends who believe in you, you are not defeated yet, and believe in yourself because you can make it work.

Though I saw it all around Never thought I could be affected
Although I saw people struggling, I didn't think it would affect me personally.

Thought that we'd be the last to go It is so strange the way things turn
We assumed we would be the last ones to suffer, but things did not turn out as expected.

Drove the night toward my home The place that I was born, on the lakeside As daylight broke, I saw the earth The trees had burned down to the ground
I drove to my hometown during the night and witnessed the destruction of trees and the environment where I grew up that had burned down to the ground in daylight.

Don't give up You still have us Don't give up We don't need much of anything Don't give up 'Cause somewhere there's a place Where we belong
Don't give up as you still have people who care about you, we don't require much to be happy, and there is a place where you fit in perfectly.

Rest your head You worry too much It's going to be alright When times get rough You can fall back on us Don't give up Please don't give up
Relax and don't worry unnecessarily as things will work themselves out, and we will always be ready to support you.

Got to walk out of here I can't take anymore Gonna stand on that bridge Keep my eyes down below Whatever may come And whatever may go That river's flowing That river's flowing
I need to leave this place because I can't take it anymore, and I am going to stand on the bridge staring down into the water, regardless of what happens, life goes on.

Moved on to another town Tried hard to settle down For every job, so many men So many men no-one needs
I moved to a new city and tried hard to establish myself, but no one seems to need my skills as there are too many people competing for the same jobs.

Don't give up 'cause you have friends Don't give up You're not the only one Don't give up No reason to be ashamed Don't give up You still have us
Remain positive because you have friends who stand by you, you are not alone, there is no need to feel embarrassed, and you still have our support.

Don't give up now We're proud of who you are Don't give up You know it's never been easy Don't give up 'Cause I believe there's the a place There's a place where we belong
Don't lose hope now because we respect and admire you for who you are, we recognize that life hasn't been easy, and we believe there is a place where we all belong.