Born hard

Born hard, born small and wirey
Born tough, and tired, and unsmiling
Born smart, and strong, and silent
And hard, born hard

Well her mama, she worked at the factory
And her daddy, he lived at the bar
And the nights he came home were the long ones
And hard, born hard

At the school she found few to be trusted
She found little that was worth her while
But she learned how to smoke and drink whiskey
Hard, born hard

She dropped out, senior year, 1970
And she took a job at the factory
Worked right up to the day she had the baby
Hard, born hard

Well she loved her own little daughter
With a passion that took her off guard
So she set her jaw, clenched her fists, and taught her
Hard, born hard

Now her face is lined and leathery
And her voice is heavy and scarred
And every day on the way to the factory
She spends a dollar on a lottery card