The Getting By
When I get up, she swears that she don't hear it
Says that I'm as quiet as a mouse
I comb my hair and throw some water on my face
And back out of the stillness of our house
Lately, my patience is in short supply
Nothing good seems to ever come from all this work
No matter how hard I try
You know I believe in the Son, I ain't no backslider
But my people were told they'd prosper in this land
Still, I know some who've never seen the ocean
Or set one foot on a velvet bed of sand
But they've got their treasure
Laying way up high
Where there might be many mansions
But when I look up
All I see is sky
Maybe it's the getting by that gets right underneath you
It'd swallow up your every step, boy, if it could
But maybe it's the stuff it takes to get up
In the morning
And put another day in, son
That holds you 'til the getting's good
Green ribbon front doors
Dishwater days
This whole town is tied to the torso
Of God's mysterious ways
Maybe it's the getting by that gets right underneath you
It'd swallow up your every step, boy, if it could
But maybe it's the stuff it takes to get up
In the morning
And put another day in, son
That keeps you standing where you should
So put another day in, son
And hold on 'til the getting's good
