Slice of Life

1985
A poor man trying to survive
He always made it through
Trying to live an honest life
Working on minimum wage
A little too grown up for his age
Sixteen and working hard
Newsboy on the Boulevard

He'd see the rich and famous
Never envied anyone
Behind their false joys
He saw that they had none
He was looking out of place
Held a smile on his face
Some looked down, asked him why
He'd look up and reply

I keep moving forward
When they try to rob me blind
Why waste a second when we're
All running out of time
I know, yes I know
I'm not a great man
But what you call "great" isn't part of my plan
I'll accept, and I'll deal with
The work and the strife
'cuz I guess that's
Just my slice of life

1986
Still had a lot to fix
They shut his water off
He said "I don't mind this"
It could be so much worse
Than living the obverse
He knew he had a home
No matter how much it hurts
He'd see the rich and famous

They'd all just pass him by
That could have been his dream
But he knew it's a lie
He found his joy in sharing
The happiness he knew
They'd all ask him about it
He'd tell them what he'd do

Not a regret to admit
It's everything he wanted
He tried follow through
And his dreams followed too
He took a look back one day
At the newsboy on Broadway
He was the same man inside

He had just come a long way
He told me all this so I
Could tell them all someday why
It's not the days that you live, it's not the day that you die
It's the difference that you make in your slice of life