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 21st   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