Lyrics:

HEY LADY
(Tonio K.)

she was standing there in the checkout line
she might've been crazy, she might've been high
or maybe just mean, or maybe some kind of a devil
i don't know which

she had three little kids looked like punching bags
that she screamed at and threatened and treated so bad
they were scared and embarrassed and battered and bruised
and probably wished they could fly
if they even knew how to wish

the littlest girl was too frightened to move
but the tears on her cheeks were as much from confusion
at the mother she needed to love
treating her like she just had no use

hey lady
either love those kids or leave 'em alone
and let 'em go live in some other home
before you ruin them

hey lady
you know they're too young and fragile to figure it out
if you say they're no good with your fists and your shouts
they believe you
look what you're doing to them
they're gonna either give up or get mean
then the whole thing starts all over again

she was probably the victim of someone's attacks
a tattoo of a snake and a chain on her back
yeah, i bet her old man or her father or someone
was a regular fountain of old-fashioned love and encouragement

now to the christians and jews, that's the sins of the fathers
the buddhists and hindus, they talk about karma
psychologists say if you take love away
and replace it with fear and abuse young enough
this is just what you get

and that 10-year-old boy had his fists clenched in anger
he was too young to kill her, but too tough to cry
you could read the next chapter of grief
written there in his hard, dark eyes

hey lady
either love those kids or leave 'em alone
let 'em go live in some other home
before you ruin them

hey lady
go take it out on somebody your size
if you don't finally kill 'em you'll still kill 'em inside
can't you see what you're doing to them

everyone froze; no one spoke out a word
we were sure if we did, they'd get hurt even worse
she had already told 'em how they were gonna get it
said, 'i hate you kids; you just wait till i get you home'
and that's a quote

so pray for that mother and pray for those kids
pray for a world that breeds something like this
pray for the killers and pray for the dead
mostly, pray for the little ones
still fast asleep in their beds

hey lady
either love those kids or leave 'em alone
let 'em grow up in some other home

hey lady
either love those kids or leave 'em alone
hey lady
either love those kids or leave 'em alone

©N.Y.M./Pressman/Cherry Music (ASCAP)