God bless my daddy, I learned so much from him
He taught me at an early age I had to sink or swim
He said, "Boy, that old river of life can wash away your dreams
But you gotta keep right on kicking and swimming upstream"

Before I knew it I was out there on the street
That old gal they call lady luck she wasn't kind to me
As a matter of fact you could say she was down right mean
She kept me in way over my head and swimming upstream

Swimming upstream, swimming upstream
Fightin' every inch of the way for a poor boy's dream
Things will get rough, times will get lean
But the only choice you got is keep swimming upstream

Every time I think my ship is comin' in
That old tide will turn and it'll take me back out again
If I just lay back and float I'll be in trouble you see
So I gotta keep working and kicking and swimming upstream

Swimming upstream swimming upstream
Fightin' every inch of the way for a poor boy's dream
Things will get rough, times will get lean
But the only choice you got is keep swimming upstream

Swimming upstream swimming upstream
Fightin' every inch of the way for a poor boy's dream
Things will get rough, times will get lean
But the only choice you got is keep swimming upstream

Yeah, the only choice that you got is keep swimming upstream