To be poor is a crime
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor is a crime, whoa now
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time

I don't wanna be begging
Jah Jah knows I'm a trying
To make the hardest the living
All of my strength I'm a giving

'Cause to be poor it is a crime, whoa now
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor is a crime, whoa well
Woman haffi know dat inna dis ya time

I'm tired of be pushed around
Won't Jah help me to get off the ground
They wanna see me go down
It's really hard for some of us to stay around

To be poor is a crime
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor is a crime, whoa well
Woman haffi know dat inna dis ya time, whoa now

The boss always want to be bigger
While the poor man slave and suffer
To see the children crying
It really keeps me sighing
My sistrens I'm not lying
Nuff time man feel like crying

'Cause to be poor is a crime, whoa now
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor is a crime, whoa well
Woman haffi know dat inna dis ya time

Now you may see me the wrong
The way I sing my song, yeah
Tell me how must we untangle
When frustration is our only ankle

To be poor is a crime, whoa now
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor is a crime, whoa well
Woman haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor is a crime
Man haffi know dat inna dis ya time
To be poor, the poor can't take no more
It's so hard when you're poor
Struggling to be free, yeah...