I hardly had a bellyful   Never knew a new bicycle   Hand-me-down books and shoes   They brought the yule tides in July      I rode a bus, a train and sometimes   Strolling for miles to a movie show   Singing a song "Shoobedoo   "While birds and rich folks flew    right on by      But we got by   Lord knows we got by      Winter wishes wait till June   We brightened July with    that hot dog fun   Tell your mama you're with Sue   You bring the beans and I'll    find the wine   Them neon lights were bright    till 2:00   And sneaking back home with    this girl named Jo   I hurried down to say Ï do"   And stared my first man-child    in the eye      But we got by   Lord knows we got by      And now baby's got his bellyful   And finally here's that new bicycle   Working, praying, June to June   And mama's got LA gleaming    in her eye      And we got by   Lord knows we got by      You see we kept on walking    and talking, hawking   Ooing, cooing, wooing   Loving, tugging, hugging, rubbing   Sugging, fugging, laying, praying, swaying   Letting, fretting, begetting, lying   Flying, trying, sighing, dying.