Track 14
Poor Boy
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Poor Boy
I'd just come back from Mumbai and had read 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers' and 'Shantoram'. It is not easy to get out of slums, and the means to that end may not always be honourable. Are ethics the prerogative of the comfortable?
a spikey folk-punk number
words and music by Martin Stirrup 2016
Poor boy - has no education Am
Poor boy - his lot he did not chose Am F Am
Poor boy- where does he look for emulation Am
Poor boy’s got nothing left to lose Am F G Am
But he fights and he strives for his right to survive - in his own way F C F C Am Am7 Am
If his back’s to the wall then there’s nowhere to fall - come what may F C F C Am Am7 Am
So he says…
I don’t want your handouts Bb(b5) A
I’ll take care of my own keep G A
One day I will stand out Bb(b5) A
A wolf …. amongst the sheep G Am
Poor girl’s in a tricky situation
Poor girl- has nothing but her looks
Poor girl - ripe for exploitation
Poor girl - innocent amongst the crooks
So she hopes and she prays for an end to these days - in her own way
Though its hard for a while to remember to smile - come what may
So she says
I don’t want your handouts
I’ll take care of my own keep
One day I will stand out
A wolf amongst the sheep
bridge
Do you think that they’ll make it together C G
That love alone rights all the wrongs C G
Perhaps you should ask yourself whether Em F
Life’s really that kind of song G E7
instrumental
Poor kids - the odds are stacked against them
Poor kids - they’ve been dealt a losing hand
Poor kids - ‘less fate it should relent some
Poor kids - where is their promised land.
They’re tough and they’re strong and they muddle along- right or wrong
Will they win, will they fail, hope their luck will prevail - in this song
They sing…
I don’t want your handouts
I’ll take care of my own keep
One day I will stand out