This morning I caught a glimpse of the man who died 
Under the bridge last night 
And there were no newspaper stories heralding his journey west 
No there were no mourners 
Won't somebody tell me what it takes 
To be treated like a man 
Won't somebody tell me what it takes 
For some people to understand 
That poverty is not a crime 
No he wasn't just doing his time 
He was just a man living under a bridge in my town 
Maybe one day he was standing in the back of the line 
when he finally realized 
That the man on top of the world is growing fat 
Standing on his back 
Won't somebody tell me what it takes 
To be treated like a man 
Won't somebody tell me what it takes 
For some people to understand 
That poverty is not a crime 
No he wasn't just doing his time 
He was just a man living under a bridge in my town 
I live off the kindness of others from time to time 
Maybe I'm just lucky 
Because in a world where so few have so much more than they need 
So many will suffer 
Won't somebody tell me what it takes 
To be treated like a man 
Won't somebody tell me what it takes 
For some people to understand 
That having more than what you need is not a right 
It's a crime 
He was just a man living under a bridge in your town