Kurtis Blow - Tough Lyrics
I don't want a lot, I want just enough
So why has it got to be so damn tough
Livin' on the uptown side of jive
Hustlin' a buck to stay alive
Well it's tough
You talk to the boss, the boss is gruff
You ask for a raise and they call your bluff
You may get some, but it's never enough
Because it's tough
Strong: Like a magnum force
Rough: Like a new divorce
Mean: Like a three-time loser
Bad: Like an L.A. cruiser
Blind: Like a submarine
Hard: Like cold concrete
Tough: That's the rhythm of the beat
You hit the street and you look for work
You don't want to be some welfare jerk
But I wonder how you get to be Captain Kirk
It's tough
Now Kirk has a ship called the Enterprise
He cuts the aliens down to size
But I wonder what he'd do with the uptown guys
They're tough
Tough:
Try to get some cash
When you're looking for a raise and they give you trash
Rough:
When you got it like that
And your woman's running 'round with a baseball bat
Hard:
Try to play it cool when the girl's all know you're an out of work fool
Tough:
How it seems to be, wish I had somebody lookin' out for me
Try to find a lover if you dare
Even if you do she just won't care
Well no one ever said that that life is fair
Because it's tough
Saw a fine young lady the other day
I started my rap, I had a lot to say
But she said she was goin' with a C.P.A
Now it's tough
Strong: Like a superhero
Rough: Like a bank book zero
Mean: Like the Oakland Raiders
Bad: Like the Caped Crusaders
Down: Like a homerun ball
Blind: Like an umpire's call
Hard: Like a cruel deceit
Tough: That's the rhythm of the beat
You worked all year to buy a brand new car
A Coupe de Ville or a Jaguar
But you didn't make enough for a good cigar
Because it's tough
So you went to the bank to try to get a loan
But the guy behind the desk had a heart of stone
He said "You don't need a car, use the telephone!"
It's tough
Tough:
It's a way of life, lost your job
Your money, but not your wife
Rough:
Gettin' in the black, Uncle Sam's in your pocket
And your woman's on your back
Hard:
That's the deal, had to get a loan just to buy a meal
Tough:
That's how it goes, when it's gettin' better, nobody knows
Strong: Like Chocolate Thunder
Rough: Like Stevie Wonder
Mean: Like Brucie The Shark
Bad: Like the Raider's Ark
Down: Like Sugar's Glove
Blind: Like a man in love
Hard: Like a big defeat
Tough: That's the rhythm of the beat
Tough: That's the word, unemployment is all I heard
Rough: When you start your day, watch the finance man tow your car away
Hard: To hold a job when you've been replaced by a little blue knob
Tough: Like a dollar steak, ain't someone ever gonna give me a break
Tough...
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin'
- Kurtis Blow - Ego Trip
- Kurtis Blow - I Can't Take It No More
- Kurtis Blow - Under Fire
- Kurtis Blow - Basketball
- Kurtis Blow - AJ Scratch
- Kurtis Blow - 8 Million Stories
- Kurtis Blow - One-Two-Five (Main Street, Harlem, USA)
- Kurtis Blow - Got To Dance
- Kurtis Blow - Nervous
- Kurtis Blow - Big Time Hood
- Kurtis Blow - Party Time
- Kurtis Blow - Fallin' Back In Love Again
- Kurtis Blow - America
- Kurtis Blow - I'm Chillin'
- Kurtis Blow - Sunshine
- Kurtis Blow - The Bronx
- Kurtis Blow - MC Lullaby
Rand Lyrics
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Kurtis Blow Tough Comments
Ciao , per favore potresti pubblicare la versione instrumental che e' bellissima , grazie ,ciao
awesome track....shared to the Netshows Radio "Program 170" Playlist on youtube
I could play that bass line all day.
The chimes at 0:50 goes well to improv into to Copacabana lol.
0:03 that Sonic Wings 3 Mars Stage Theme😃
Everybody Hates Chris
The word "tough" is back LMAO...i play this while riding my motorcycle in 2018
I feel doing a head spin
Tuff crew......tuff city song
0:36 🔥 THAT MEAN CHANT!
I like the part when it says tough like the Oakland raiders
Use to be..lol
Thank you man for 'ur contribution!!!
I remember living in Brooklyn NY during the mid 1980s when rap was starting to take shape and gain some commercial success. I knew some of the young rappers back in the day. One thing I noticed was that they took rap very seriously. I was trying to help them get their raps copyrighted. I knew that protecting your creative work is very important and that the 'Poor Man's Copyright' doesn't hold up in a court of law.
Hi Willie
In my opinion Willie, when one takes the art (in general) or your folklore (in particular) seriously, leaving the commercial a little aside, an authentic artistic product is achieved.
As you know, there are also and there have been creations, without copyright, that left the work as a «popular cultural possession», just for our enjoyment, regardless of who prefers to keep «the money possession»
Surely we need the money to live...
Although I think that the real jewels are left without money. The "one" that people do on street, like a minstrel.
I see your point, but there are those who will see an opportunity for monetary gain and seize upon it. It hurts me to my heart to know that folk singer Pete Seeger copyrighted the civil rights anthem "We Shall Over Come" and used it for monetary gain.
There was also a controversy over the melody to "In the Jungle, The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which was originally written by an African man. This song made millions of dollars of which he receive very little if any thing at all. Protecting your creative works is a must. As I said, there are people out there who will see an opportunity and seize upon it and if they can get away without paying to use your music they will certainly do it.
Music is a business. Protecting your creative works is the right thing to do.
@Willie Ellebie omg so cool i wish i was alive in the 80s
Yes, the 1980s produced some great music. MIDI came into full use by musicians during that period.
sho nuff TOUGH!