Born Hard

Born hard, born small and wirey

Born tough, and tired, and unsmiling

Born smart, and strong, and silent

And hard, born hard

Well her mama, she worked at the factory

And her daddy, he lived at the bar

And the nights he came home were the long ones

And hard, born hard

At the school she found few to be trusted

She found little that was worth her while

But she learned how to smoke and drink whiskey

Hard, born hard

She dropped out, senior year, 1970

And she took a job at the factory

Worked right up to the day she had the baby

Hard, born hard

Well she loved her own little daughter

With a passion that took her off guard

So she set her jaw, clenched her fists, and taught her

Hard, born hard

Now her face is lined and leathery

And her voice is heavy and scarred

And every day on the way to the factory

She spends a dollar on a lottery card