Started young while he was just a kid
Learnin' to make his money fast
Lord knows all the things he did
Everything the law forbid
His momma died and daddy drank a lot
Just another nameless face gone bad
Here on the government housing lot
Written off and forgot
And he grew up oh so fast
On the wrong side of the tracks
Risking everything to share some of the pain he felt inside
Tryin' hard to be a man
He's got a heart and a devil's hand
Daddy always said he was headin' for trouble
I guess he had to prove him right
He went to prison when he was just nineteen
They taught him all he needed to know
Back out on the government housing scene
Take care of yourself, if you know what I mean
All the sk**s he learned, they were __
Didn't seem to mind at all that much
____________________________
A few uncles and cousins to spare
One day they sent him back
To the wrong side of the tracks
Five years meaner
And not one single damn thing left to lose
He'd grown accustomed to a cell
And they sent him home to fail
Knowing damn well he'd have to go back to the only thing he knew
There's another one born like him every day
A hundred more to take the place
Of every one you lock away
There's got to be a better way
'Cause he grew up oh so fast
On the wrong side of the tracks
Risking everything to share some of the pain he felt inside
Tryin' hard to be a man
He's got a heart and a devil's hand
Daddy always said he was headin' for trouble
I guess he had to prove him right