Beat up little seagull
On a marble stair
Tryin' to find the ocean
Lookin' everywhere

Hard times in the city
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothin' here for free

Hooker on the corner
Waiting for a train
Drunk lying on the sidewalk
Sleeping in the rain

And the people hide their faces
And they hide their eyes
'Cause the city's dyin'
And they don't know why

Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Just to live

Get my sister Sandy
And my little brother Ray
Buy a big old wagon
To haul us all away

Live out in the country
Where the mountain's high
Never gonna come back here
'Til the day I die

Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Oh, Baltimore
Ain't it hard just to live?
Just to live


Lyrics submitted by Golgotha

Baltimore Lyrics as written by Randy Newman

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Baltimore song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    i don't think you can take it to literally as being merely "baltimore". I think it's america and its life. "ain't it hard just to live". The world is dark and nasty and morally corrupted. It's a metaphor

    jackfouron June 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    pretty sure it's 'aint it hard just to live'

    this is one of the most increible recordings.

    the lyrics work on two levels, empathising with baltimore the city and expressing her own injury caused by the city's poverty problem.

    boozmon December 22, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    David Gray does an absolutely AWESOME cover of this on his new DVD. The song is about a city falling on hard times.

    the_sas_manon August 05, 2006   Link

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