Father to son, I had I passed down to me, yeah,
He said, "Son, you've got to work this life, 'cause nothing's for free, no,"
Oh, you've got to lay down your burdens, reach for the sky,
Resist that devil's lie - and that's the old, hard line,
That's the old, hard line.
I hear two and two is four, and four is ten... if you work it right,
Well, the lawless one strikes young and old; it's a dirty fight,
Oh, you fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool that golden rule - and that's that old, hard line.
Old, hard line,
That old, hard line,
Old, hard line,
That old, hard line,
Got to get it right this time,
Old, hard line,
That old, hard line, line.
All across America to USSR; no matter how near or far,
Black or white, or rich, or poor - ashes to dust,
There's gonna come a time we must face that old, hard line.
Old, hard line,
That old, hard line,
Old, hard line,
That old, hard line,
Got to get it right this time,
Old, hard line,
We're gonna... gonna face that line,
Old, hard line,
Hide on the line, hide on the line, hide on the line,
Old, hard line,
Old, hard line, yeah, line.
That's the old, hard line,
That's the old, hard line, yeah.