Living For The City
Stevie Wonder/Musicfire.in Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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, um hum

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
Because where he lives they don't use colored people
Living just enough, just enough for the city

Living just enough
For the city
Living just enough
For the city
Living just enough
For the city
Living just enough
For the city
Living just enough
For the city




Living just enough
For the city

Overall Meaning

The song "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder, which was released in 1973, is an emotional commentary about the racial and economic struggles of African Americans in the United States, particularly those living in urban areas. The song tells the story of a young man who is born in Mississippi during difficult times and raised by hardworking parents who strive to provide the best for their children despite their financial struggles. Despite their efforts, however, they are living in poverty and can only provide just enough for their family to survive in the city.


The lyrics of the first verse describe the boy's childhood and how his parents work hard to give him love and affection while trying to guide him in the right direction. However, the second verse paints a different picture as his father works long hours for barely any pay, while his mother works as a cleaner for very low wages. The third verse introduces his sister, who is also struggling to get an education and make ends meet, while the final verse talks about his brother, who is intelligent but unable to find work because of the discrimination against people of color.


Overall, the song "Living for the City" is a powerful portrayal of the harsh realities of life for African Americans living in urban areas in the 1970s, and it continues to be relevant even today.


Line by Line Meaning

A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
A child is born into a difficult situation in Mississippi


Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
Living in a place that is cramped and not aesthetically pleasing


His parents give him love and affection
Despite their difficult circumstances, his parents show him love and care


To keep him strong moving in the right direction
They want to provide him with support and guidance to succeed in life


Living just enough, just enough for the city
Their resources are limited and they struggle to make ends meet in the city


His father works some days for fourteen hours
His father works long hours on certain days


And you can bet he barely makes a dollar
Despite his hard work, he earns very little money


His mother goes to scrub the floors for many
His mother works hard scrubbing floors for others


And you'd best believe she hardly gets a penny
And despite the work, she earns very little money


Living just enough, just enough for the city, yeah
Their limited resources mean that they struggle to survive in the city


Her sister's black but she is sho 'nuff pretty
His sister is black, but she is very beautiful


Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy
Despite wearing short skirts, she is strong and resilient


To walk to school she's got to get up early
She has to wake up early to walk to school


Her clothes are old but never are they dirty
Although her clothes are old, she takes care to keep them clean


Living just enough, just enough for the city, um hum
Despite their limited resources, they try to make the best of what they have in the city


Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many
Her brother is intelligent and wise


His patience's long but soon he won't have any
However, he is running out of patience with his situation


To find a job is like a haystack needle
Finding a job where he lives is very difficult


Because where he lives they don't use colored people
Due to the color of his skin, he faces discrimination in the job market


Living just enough, just enough for the city
Their limited resources mean that they continue to struggle to survive in the city


Living just enough
Their resources are stretched thin, barely enough to survive


For the city
Their struggles are specific to living in the city




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVIE WONDER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Canada goose

If this song doesn’t play at my funeral I’m not going.

TrashCanBoiBoi

W

I choked On a taki once

Lol 😂

Ambriah Culbertson

Dam Stevie Wonder is such an amazing singer and has such amazing voice and great lyrics and I like this song it is one of my favorite songs it is such an amazing song.

Jesus is Luke Skywalker

👍🏻 yep, pure genius, coolest vibes

Samalie Nansasi

👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

B Fischer

Got to party with him once but seen him twice he never saw me !!!!!!!! Best show in the world

Anthony Gennaro

Unreal!!

Doctor Mortis

love this song...!

Harumi Aoki

Love this song

More Comments

More Versions