All Life Brings

The life of a peasant is all I've seen,
But more there is to life--I guarantee!--
Than sleep and work and hunger pangs,
The rags on our backs, but it's all life brings...
To me.

I know I have to reach out for these things,
But it's a song no one before me sang.
All those people have marvelous things,
But all I have is... all life brings...
To me.

So out I'll reach,
Till I fill that need,
That hunger for something,
Something that will be more than all life brings...
To me.

I put forth my hand into the fire of hurt,
The wicked, twisted world where the plain folk 'work',
And I made it out and then to my people sang:
"Come on in! The water's fine! There's more to life than all life brings...
To you."

But then I realized,
With a pain in my eyes,
I was happier with the hunger pangs,
Because I had friends, and that's all life should bring,
To me.