[Verse 1]
A tornado tore through a Midwest town
Wasn't nothing in its path it didn't take down
Except the Baptist church and a ball field
Then they rebuilt
Talk about tough people
[Verse 2]
She was four years old when they got the news
It was in her little lungs, it was stage two
Mama spent every night by her bed
And daddy shaved his head
Talk about tough people
[Pre-Chorus]
Yeah, there were plenty of times she coulda gave up, but she didn't
No, she fought like hell 'til she rang that bell in Memphis
[Chorus]
Oh, there's a whole lotta bad in the world out there
Oh, and it's hard to keep going when it don't seem fair
Keep on fighting when your back's against the wall
Keep on getting back up when you fall
Keep on keeping your head held high
'Cause I still believe
Hard work pays off, good beats evil
And tough times make tough people
[Verse 3]
It's a single mom working two jobs a day
And a farmer barely getting by, needing rain
It's a grandma waiting tables, working through the pain
It's a cop on a call, running in gun drawn
'Cause a shooter's in a schoolhouse hallway
[Chorus]
Oh, there's a whole lotta bad in the world out there
Oh, and it's hard to keep going when it don't seem fair
Keep on fighting when your back's against the wall
Keep on getting back up when you fall
Keep on keeping your head held high
'Cause I still believe
Hard work pays off, good beats evil
And tough times make tough people
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, tough people
Yeah
[Bridge]
He was dog tags, boots, and army green
Shipped off somewhere to keep us all free
Came back in a box with a flag on it
Hits home, don't it?
Talk about tough people
Man, talk about some tough people, hey
[Chorus]
Oh, there's a whole lotta bad in the world out there
Oh, and it's hard to keep going when it don't seem fair
But I still believe
Hard work pays off, good beats evil
And tough times make tough people
[Outro]
Yeah, sure makes some tough people