Back in '^D39 she was 26^G, the wife of a soldier tryin' to raise four kids On ^Crationed out beans and watered down milk, tryin' to^G keep 'em all warm with a patchwork quilt That ^Emgreat depression ended about 1^D945, but ^Cgrandma lived to be 92 See, ^Dtough times don't l^Cast, tough people ^Gdo

Tough ^Gpeople pull themselves up by the bootstraps when they hit hard luck And they stay strong and they keep on fightin' like they don't know how to lose ^D Tough times don't ^Clast, tough ^Gpeople do Those ^Ctalkin' heads on CNN, say we'll never get out of this hole we're in The price of ^Cgas is up and the market's down and there's a ^Gbunch of empty houses in every town Well, I'd ^Eminterrupt that program with a little^D headline of my own This ^Cjust in from the old red, white and blue ^DTough times don't ^Clast, tough ^Gpeople do

Tough ^Gpeople pull themselves up by the bootstraps when they hit hard luck And they stay strong and they keep on fightin' like they don't know how to lose ^DTough times don't ^Clast, tough ^Gpeople do

I've been out of^G work since mid July, my bank account's about bone dry Been ^Clookin' for a job no luck so far, but I ^Gbought a little time when I sold my car Well, ^EmI'll go dig a ditch ^Dif that's what it takes, baby,^C somehow or another we'll get through ^DTough times don't ^Clast, ^Dtough times don't ^Clast

Tough |(^Gpeople do, |^Gtough people |^G do | ^G