He's a poor boy in his pocket
He's a poor boy in his shoes
He's done his time
He's stood in line
That boy has paid his dues

He ain't looking for a handout
He's just looking for a start
He don't hate anyone
He don't carry a gun
You can tell that kid is smart

So you can't
Keep that poor boy down
You can be unkind
You can rob him blind
But you can't keep that poor boy down
You can lie and cheat
You can chain his feet
But you can't keep that poor boy down

And all down throughout the ages
The kid's been treated rough
Just take a look
In any history book
You can see that times were tough
Now we move up to the nineties
Up to the twenty-first
One day he'll stand
A full grown man
And be the same as all of us

So you can't keep that poor boy down
You can lock him up
You can break his cup
But you can't keep that poor boy down

You can fight and steal
You can drag your heels
But you can't keep that poor boy down
You can kick his ass
If the kid's got class
You can't keep that poor boy down

Let's stop the truck
Go back and pick him up
You can't keep that poor boy down

Let him go