Lyrics:

[Intro]
I remember my first love affair
Somehow or another the whole darn thing went wrong
My mama had some great advice
So I thought I'd put it into words of this song
I can still hear her sayin'

[Verse 1]
Boy, oh, I see you're sittin' out there all alone
Cryin' your eyes out 'cause the woman that you love is gone
Oh, there's gonna be, there's gonna be a whole lot of trouble in your life
Oh, so listen to me get up off your knees
'Cause only the strong survive
That's what she said

[Chorus]
'Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive'
Hey, you've got to be strong, you'd better hold on

[Verse 2]
Don't go all around with your head hung down
Well I wouldn't let that little girl
No, I wouldn't let her know that she made me feel like a clown
There's a whole lot a girls lookin' for a good man like you
Oh but you'll never meet 'em if you give up now
And say that your life is through
Then she said:
[Chorus]
'Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
You've got to be a man, you've got to take a stand'
So I'm telling you right now only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
Hey, you've got to be strong, you'd better hold on

[Outro]
Don't worry about it, don't you know that things are gonna change
Oh, but you've got to be a man, you've got to take a stand
Don't ever feel that, you can make it baby