We Got By

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, we got by 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 will 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 I do And stared my first man-child in the eye But we got by, we got by We got by, Lord knows we got by Sometimes I say And now baby's got his bellyful y'all And finally here's that new bicycle Working, praying, June to June And mama's got L.A. gleaming in her eye And we got by, we got by, yeah We got by, Lord knows we got by See we kept on walking and talking and hawking And ooing, and cooing, and wooing Loving, and tugging, and hugging And a rubbing and sugging, and fugging Laying, praying, swaying, letting And fretting, and betting, begetting Lying, and flying, and trying And dying, and sighing We got by, yes, we got by We got by, yeah, let's now help me sing By and by, by and by By and by, by and by Oh, we gonna sweet, sweet by, and didn't we get there? By, by, by, by Thank you mama provided, thank you papa 'Causing me to tremble