He was holding up a cardboard sign, I didn't read it, just drove on by
Thought to myself, man, get a job, and hit it out in the downtown mall
Then later on, on the evening news, there he was in an interview
And they asked him, man, how'd you end up here?
And as his eyes filled up with tears, he said, you probably wouldn't think it
But I used to have a life, a job I was proud of
A son and a beautiful wife, a house and a neighborhood
Yeah, man, I had it good
Until the night our car hit that wall
And I lost it all
He said I tried to hold her on the road, but it was raining hard
And I lost control when that other car swerved in our lane
I jerked the wheel and I hit the brakes, but there was nowhere to go
Nothing to do, nothing to do, nothing to do

Nothing I could do, later on that night when I came to
The doctor said, I've got bad news
So unless you've been there in those shoes
You probably wouldn't think it
But I used to have a life, a job I was proud of
A son and a beautiful wife, a house and a neighborhood
Yeah, man, I had it good
Until the night our car hit that wall
And I lost it all
The next morning on my way to work
I rolled my window down
I said, hey man, if you need a job
Well, maybe I could help you out
And as he climbed up in my old truck
I said, I saw you on the road


And I realized that could be me
Standing in your shoes
Cause the cancer took my wife away last fall
You see, I know what it's like
To hit that wall
Cause I lost it all
I lost it all
When you lose it all
You gotta keep on breathing
When you lose it all
He was holding up a cardboard sign
I didn't read it
I just read it

And I drove on by
Thought to myself, man, get a job