Mama and Papa Vidal just had a child
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Now they gotta split 'cause the bronx ain't fit
For kid to grow up in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
Poppa and the family left the dirty streets
To find a quiet place overseas
And year after year the kid has to hear
The do's and the don'ts and the dears
And when she's ten years old she digs that rock 'n' roll
But Poppy bans it from the home
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
Soon she turns out to be a natural freak
Popping pills and smoking weed
And when she's sweet sixteen she leaves her big family
With a man she met on the streets
Mama starts to bawl, bangs her head to the wall
Too much love is worse than none at all!
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!
Mama and Papa Vidal just had a child
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Now they gotta split 'cause the bronx ain't fit
For kid to grow up in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
But for the grace of God, oh, go I
Oh, I
There but for the grace of God, oh go I I I I I I I I I!