They used to tell me boy you ain't goin' nowhere
With your cheap guitar and your big long hair
You gotta realize all your responsibilities
You gotta get out to work and face reality

You gotta get up in the morning take your heavy load
And you gotta keep goin' down the long black road

So I drifted for a while down the road to ruin
I couldn't find my way I didn't know what I was doin'
I saw a lot of people coming back the other way
So I kept on goin' when I heard them say

"You gotta get up in the morning take your heavy load
And you gotta keep goin' down the long black road"

I made a lot of money I was makin' quite a mess
But they all told me money wouldn't bring me happiness
"You gotta work like a man in a real man's life
You're gonna have to take all the trouble and strife"

You gotta get up in the morning take your heavy load
And you gotta keep goin' down the long black road