Down Down Down
Sylvester Lyrics

A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
The song begins by describing a boy who was born in a difficult time in Mississippi.

Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
The boy grows up in a place with four unattractive walls enclosing him.

His parents give him love and affection
Despite their hardships, the boy's parents show him love and care.

To keep him strong moving in the right direction
They try to guide him towards a positive path in life.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
However, the boy's family can only provide the bare minimum for survival and living in the city.

His father works some days for fourteen hours
The boy's father has to work long, exhausting hours on some days to make a living.

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

His mother goes to scrub the floors for many
The boy's mother has to do menial labor like cleaning floors for other people to earn money.

And you best believe she hardly gets a penny
Even though she works hard, the mother probably does not receive fair payment for her labor.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
The family is barely scraping by and can only afford to live in the city with the basics.

His sister's black but she is sho 'nuff pretty
The boy has a sister who is black, but beautiful.

Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy
She may dress in a revealing way, but she is a strong, confident person despite any prejudices against her appearance.

To walk to school she's got to get up early
The sister has to wake up very early to walk to school, likely due to living in a difficult area for commuting.

Her clothes are old but never are they dirty
Even though her clothes may not be the newest, she takes care to present herself cleanly.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
The family as a whole can only afford to live with enough to get by in the city.

Her brother's smart he's got more sense than many
The boy himself may be smart and intelligent beyond many of his peers.

His patience's long but soon he won't have any
He may have the patience to endure his situation now, but it may not last.

To find a job is like a haystack needle
Finding employment in the area they live in is near impossible.

'Cause where he lives they don't use colored people
The boy is in an area with a lot of discrimination against people of color and they are not given equal opportunities.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
The family cannot afford to leave the city and may be stuck in their difficult situation for a while.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
The repeated chorus emphasizes how the family can only survive in the city with the minimum necessities.

His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
The boy's physical appearance reflects his difficult lifestyle.

He spends his life walking the streets of New York City
Despite adversity, the boy walks around the city as he tries to survive.

He's almost dead from breathing in air pollution
Living in the city has wreaked havoc on the boy's health due to constantly inhaling polluted air.

He tried to vote but to him there's no solution
The boy may try to vote to make a change, but may find that there are no practical solutions to the problems he faces.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
The chorus repeats again to emphasize the theme of just surviving with the bare minimum.

I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow
The song is a call to recognize the struggles that people in impoverished areas face every day.

And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow
The message of the song is to inspire listeners to take action and work towards creating a better future for those living in similar harsh conditions.

This place is cruel no where could be much colder
The current living conditions of the boy and his family feel cruel and oppressive to them.

If we don't change the world will soon be over
The song's message is reinforced by warning that if the world doesn't become more aware of the struggles of poverty, the consequences could be dire.

Living just enough, just enough for the city
The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, driving home the message of the song.