I Came Up Hard

I picked my share of cotton

I drank water from a creek

Split a hot dog five ways

Just to make it through the week

I came up hard

Oh, I came up hard

Oh, I count my blessing every day

But Lord knows I came up hard

Sharecropper's shack, nine years old

Learned how to play the blues

On a two-string diddley bow

I came up hard

Lord knows I came up hard

Oh, I can laugh about it now

But Lord knows I came up hard

Rain leaking through the ceiling

Wind blow through the door

Didn't have no bed

Just a ripped blanket on the floor

I came up hard

Yes, I came up hard

Oh, but I ain't the only one

Lord knows I came up hard

From sun up to sun down

Every day

I played a lot of hooky

Never once got caught

Out behind the juke joint

And I surely learned a lot

Oh, I came up hard

Oh yes, I really came up hard

Looka here, I think I did alright

Lord knows I came up hard

Oh, I count my blessing every day

Lord knows I came up hard

Oh yes, I did, yeah