This morning I caught a glimpse of the man who died Under the bridge last night And there were no newspaper stories heralding his journey west No there were no mourners Won't somebody tell me what it takes To be treated like a man Won't somebody tell me what it takes For some people to understand That poverty is not a crime No he wasn't just doing his time He was just a man living under a bridge in my town Maybe one day he was standing in the back of the line When he finally realized That the man on top of the world is growing fat Standing on his back Won't somebody tell me what it takes To be treated like a man Won't somebody tell me what it takes For some people to understand That poverty is not a crime No he wasn't just doing his time He was just a man living under a bridge in my town I live off the kindness of others from time to time Maybe I'm just lucky Because in a world where so few have so much more than they need So many will suffer Won't somebody tell me what it takes To be treated like a man Won't somebody tell me what it takes For some people to understand That having more than what you need is not a right It's a crime He was just a man living under a bridge in your town