My Bootstraps

It’s easy to list off the things you might need

A pillow to sleep on, fresh air to breathe

Food in your belly, the shirt on your back

It’s easy to go even further than that

To say: I need money, a house and a car

I need a career if I want to go far

I need this one person, without whom I’d die

I need all these things if I want to survive

But for me, honestly, none of it’s true

I don’t need places to go or things to do

I don’t need to have money or a roof up above

I don’t even need the people I love

Now don’t get me wrong, all these things are quite nice

I wouldn’t give them up, no matter the price

The point is all I need to simply get by

Are the trusty old three: me, myself and I

When tough times come, and I’m down on my luck

All I need are my bootstraps to pull myself up

With self-reliance and a smile on your face

Eventually everything falls into place

I’ve been without work, without family and friends

I’ve lost people I loved and lost all common sense

I’ve had no place to live and no car to drive

But I have self-reliance, and I’ve always survived

Moral of the story is keep your chin up

Things will improve, no matter how much they suck

Often when it seems the world’s coming to an end

There’s something wonderful just around the bend