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

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
 Price of gas is up and the market's down
 And there's a bunch of empty houses in every town
 This just in from the old red, white and blue
 Tough times don't last
 Tough people do

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
 Tough people do
 Tough people do