Get up dis maanin at hate-a-clack
Suffarin' fram a unga pain
Di pavaty a live in, is unfagivin'
An' it drivin' mi insane

Di pain a wuz feelin' had mi reelin'
An' a wuz juss about to bawl
But no soun' could come out, fram a mout
Dat wuz suffarin' fram white squall

A went to di fridge to fine sum food
But dat wuz juss a disaster
Cause di only ting a fine in mine
Wuz a bottle of warm ice water

A look in di cupboard but dat wuz empty
So mi juss slam di door
A suffarin' fram a lack of funds
But yu always bruck when yu poor

Mi go outa door fi search some more
Fi fine supp'm fi sell
Like piece a copper or two drinks backle
But dat didn't go too well

Mi tink 'bout goin' up di street
Fi get a likkle day job
But di way mi look, dem might tink me is a crook
Juss a look sumting fi rob

Laas time mi try fi get yard wuk
Up by Havendale
A policeman bax mi an tek mi machette
An nearly sen mi go jail

Mi neva get fi finish school
Mi mada di too poor
So now it hard fi get a job
If a wuz a gyal a woulda probly tun a whore

Hustlin' here an' dere is de bess
Dat I can fine fi do
Cause nobady waa fi hire me
But den what else is new

Some seh is di ecanamy
Some blame di govament
But when yu bruk widout a wuk
It doan mek any difrence

Doah time so hard an' tings look bad
Dere is one savin' grace
De likkle gyaden mi did plant rung-a-back
Is goin' to feed mi face

So mi desparation an' despair
Tun self-reliant skill
Doah money mi no got, mi put on mi pot
An' while it cook mi chill

A di okro an' di calaloo
An' piece a dasheen root
Dat mi did plant a while aback
Come save mi life fi truth

Now mi suffarin' fram unga no more
Livin' in total bliss
An' before yu can 'quint mi faas asleep
Suffarin' fram niggaritis