Back in '39 she was 26, the wife of a soldier tryin' to raise four kids
On rationed out beans and watered down milk, tryin' to keep 'em all warm with a patchwork quilt
That great depression ended about 1945, but grandma lived to be 92
See, tough times don't last, tough people do
(Chorus)
Tough people pull themselves up by the bootstraps when they hit hard luck
And they stay strong and they keep on fightin' like they don't know how to lose
Tough times don't last, tough people do
Those talkin' heads on CNN, say we'll never get out of this hole we're in
The price of gas is up and the market's down and there's a bunch of empty houses in every town
Well, I'd interrupt that program with a little headline of my own
This just in from the old red, white and blue
Tough times don't last, tough people do
(Chorus)
Tough people pull themselves up by the bootstraps when they hit hard luck
And they stay strong and they keep on fightin' like they don't know how to lose
Tough times don't last, tough people do
I've been out of work since mid July, my bank account's about bone dry
Been lookin' for a job no luck so far, but I bought a little time when I sold my car
Well, I'll go dig a ditch if that's what it takes, baby, somehow or another we'll get through
Tough times don't last, tough times don't last
(Tag)
Tough (people do, tough people do