Mary and Me
(Eric Bogle)

Chorus:
You were born in the slum little boy
And you'll die in the slum little boy
You were born in the slum and you've never seen the sun
You'll be there till kingdom come little boy

We grew up together, two kids in the same dirty street
And often we were could and hungry with little tae eat
Born to a life of want and poverty
Livin' wisnae easy for mary and Me

When you're poor and hungry, it's hard tae keep dreams alive
For you need all your strength and will just tae survive
But I never gave up my dreams and neither did she
Though livin' wisnae easy for Mary and Me

We dreamed of the day we'd both get away from the slums
Tae a place outside where a man can earn a spot in the sun
But though we dreamed oor dreams they weren't tae be
For livin' wisnae easy for Mary and Me

For Mary came tae me and said she was five months gone
So we married that spring before oor son was born
Then afore we knew oor children numbered three
And livin' wisnae easy for Mary and Me

Now oor kids are growin' up in the same dirty street
And often they're cauld and hungry with little tae eat
Livin on cauld kail and charity
Livin' wisnae easy for Mary and Me

I wish tae hell this weary world was done
I wish tae hell that we were dead and gone
For if death's the only way we can be free
Then dyin' will be easy for Mary and Me

Sung by Eric Bogle on 'Bogle live in person' - recorded live in Germany, February 1977, Folkclub Munster - Autogram & Folk Records, Nottuln, Germany - ALLP-211

BACKGROUND. If you're born poor, you usually die poor. Trite but true. I wrote this song to try and illustrate the vicious circle of poverty. Eric Bogle.
Eric wrote this song in November 1973.

------
(Thanks to Wolfgang who sent me these lyrics on paper - Ezio).