Hot night in the city streets Old papers blowin' 'round my feet Some dude's got his eyes on you Better walk quickly down the avenue Somewhere somebody's baby cries A new heart beats as another one dies It ain't easy but you live and learn If you don't get what you want You might get what you deserve It's a rough town You give it all just to live in fear No refuge no place to run Talkin' 'bout a rough town Gotta find a way to get outta here Ain't no way around it It's a rough town Cold dawn comes with the break of day Morning sky turns gun metal grey From an upstairs window there's a woman scream A nightmare vision from some junkies dream An angry fist beatin' on an old steel door Tell me why you here Who are you lookin' for? It ain't easy but it ain't for long This place is crazy
Tell me, hey, where did things go wrong? It's a rough town Middle of the night and the street's alive It's a gamble it's a chance you take Talkin' 'bout a rough town Gonna turn your world inside out Call it what you want but It's a rough town 2 a.m. I can't get to sleep I bin lyin' here on these sweat-stained sheets Beneath my window the city crawls It's a rat race outside these walls, Oh Yeah! It's a rough town You give it all just to live in fear No refuge no place to run Gotta find a way to get outta here Ain't no way around it It's a rough town It's a rough town Middle of the night and the street's alive It's a gamble it's a chance you take Talkin' 'bout a rough town Gonna turn your world inside out Call it what you want but It's a rough town