Little Tom
what will be your fate Little Tom will you be someone great
Do you know right from wrong are they teaching you at home
Or have they turn you loose to roam Little Tom
I walked into a cafe and ordered myself something to eat
When a little boy walked in with his shoes half off his feet
He said (buy a paper Mister) I said how do you son
(Seven sir when my papers are sold I'll be on my way home)
What your name (Thomas but everybody calls me Little Tom
They named me after my daddy but they say I look like my
mama)
I said why it's almost midnight son you should be home
asleep
(I know it but I wanna get me a bicycle and I gotta help
mama buy somethin' to eat
My daddy's pretty mean to us and he spends most of his money
for wine
He don't hold a job like other men he gets hired all time)
I said have somethin' to eat aren't you hungry son
He said (I guess a little bit
I believe I have a hamburger and a glass of milk to go
within)
Is there enought (make it too cause I ain't eat since noon)
Where you live son (on Main Street sir there's six of us
livin' in one room
There's me and my three brothers and my ma and my dad
But someday I'm gonna buy me a big house if I had to turn
out bad)
My appetite left me as I sat there watching him
And I thought he's just one of thousands that's brought up
in a home of sin
With the parents neglect the children and forget to make the
all menkind
Then wondered why there's ---- most of the time
I bit my lip and fought back tears as I watched the little
guy leave the cafe
And I wondered how many more children would be brought up
that way
Little Tom what will be your fate
