🎵 “Broke Before Payday”
🎸 Intro:
I got paid on Friday, broke by Sunday night
Ain’t no spending spree—just trying to live right
But the lights don’t care, and the rent don’t wait
Every damn month feels like checkmate
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Verse 1:
Groceries cost more than a car note used to
Feeding the fridge feels like bleeding through
Swipe that card, close my eyes and pray
It clears the charge, just for one more day
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Verse 2:
Bill collectors calling like wolves on the line
One more late fee and they’re cuttin’ my lifeline
Gas in the tank? That’s a maybe or not
Some weeks it’s prayers and whatever I got
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Chorus:
Why does money run like it owes me pain?
Like it’s cursed, like it vanishes down the drain
Give it away, just tryin’ to care
But who helps me when I got nothin’ to spare?
Living this life like a hole in my shoe—
Money comes in, but it runs right through
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Verse 3:
I give when I can, even if I can’t
‘Cause someone always needs, and I know that chant
I’ve been the beggar, the lender, the fool
Heart too big for a world this cruel
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Verse 4:
Ain’t lazy, ain’t lost, I just fight a rigged game
Where the rich keep climbing and we stay the same
They say save a little—how? From what?
When survival’s a blessing and the system’s corrupt
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Bridge:
I called the power company, begged for a break
They said, “We can pause the shutoff… but still take what we take.”
Told the landlord I’m trying—he laughed on the phone
Hard to build wealth when you don’t own a home
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Chorus (repeat with more fire):
Why does money run like it owes me pain?
Like it’s cursed, like it vanishes down the drain
Give it away, just tryin’ to care
But who helps me when I got nothin’ to spare?
Living this life like a hole in my shoe—
Money comes in, but it runs right through
---
Outro:
But I’m still here, still standin’ tall
Ain’t got much, but I’ve given my all
And maybe someday, when the wind shifts my way
I’ll be more than just broke before payday
Robert Ramage 
