[Verse 1]
Hot night in the city streets
Old papers blowin' 'round my feet
Some dude's got his eyes on you
Better walk quickly down the avenue
Somewhere, somebody's baby cries
A new heart beats as another one dies

[Pre-Chorus]
It ain't easy, but you live and learn
If you don't get what you want
You might get what you deserve

[Chorus]
It's a rough town
You give it all just to live in fear
No refuge, no place to run
Talkin' 'bout a rough town
Gotta find a way to get outta here
Ain't no way around it
It's a rough town

[Verse 2]
Cold dawn comes with the break of day
Morning sky turns gun metal grey
From an upstairs window there's a woman scream
A nightmare vision from some junkies dream
An angry fist beatin' on an old steel door
Tell me why you're here
Who you lookin' for?
[Pre-Chorus]
It ain't easy, but it ain't for long
This place is crazy
Tell me where did things go wrong?

[Chorus]
It's a rough town
Middle of the night and the street's alive
It's a gamble, it's a chance you take
Talkin' 'bout a rough town
Gonna turn your world inside out
Call it what you want, but it's a rough town

[Bridge]
2 AM I can't get to sleep
I been lyin' here on these sweat-stained sheets
Beneath my window the city crawls
It's a rat race outside these walls
Yeah, yeah

[Chorus]
It's a rough town
You give it all just to live in fear
No refuge, no place to run
Talkin' 'bout a rough town
Gotta find a way to get outta here
Ain't no way around it
It's a rough town
It's a rough town
Middle of the night and the street's alive
It's a gamble, it's a chance you take
Talkin' 'bout a rough town
Gonna turn your world inside out
Call it what you want, but it's a rough town
Rough town