so  many  mouths  to  feed  on  the  farm

sonny  was  the  second  to  the  last  one  born

his  mamma  ran  away  and  his  daddy  beat  him  bad

and  he  grew  up  wild  good  love  he  never  had

he  had  a  left  like  henry's  hammer

a  right  like  betty  bamalam

rode  with  the  muggers  in  the  dark  and  dread

and  all  them  sluggers  went  down  like  lead

well  he  hung  with  the  hoods  he  wouldn't  stroke  the  fans

but  he  had  dynamite  in  both  his  hands

boom  bam  like  the  slammer  door

the  bell  and  the  can  and  the  bodies  on  the  floor

beware  the  bear's  in  town  somebody's  money  says

the  bear's  going  down

yeah,  the  bear  never  smiles

sonny's  going  down  for  miles  and  miles

sonny's  going  down  for  miles  and  miles

the  writers  didn't  like  him  the  fight  game  jocks

with  his  lowlife  backers  and  his  hands  like  rocks

they  didn't  want  to  have  a  bogey  man

they  didn't  like  him  and  he  didn't  like  them

black  cadillac  alligator  boots

money  in  the  pockets  of  his  sharkskin  suits

some  say  the  bear  took  a  flop

they  couldn't  believe  it  when  they  saw  him  drop

he  had  a  left  like  henry's  hammer

a  right  like  betty  bamalam

rode  with  the  muggers  in  the  dark  and  dread

and  all  them  sluggers  went  down  like  lead

joe  louis  was  his  hero  he  tried  to  be  the  same

but  a  criminal  child  wears  a  ball  and  chain

so  the  civil  rights  people  didn't  want  him  on  the  throne

and  the  hacks  and  the  cops  wouldn't  leave  him  alone

beware  the  bear's  in  town

somebody's  money  says  the  bear's  going  down

yeah,  the  bear  never  smiles

sonny's  going  down  for  miles  and  miles

sonny's  going  down  for  miles  and  miles

at  the  foot  of  his  bed  with  his  feet  on  the  floor

there  was  dope  in  his  veins  and  a  pistol  on  the  drawer

there  was  no  investigation  as  such

he  hated  needles  but  he  knew  too  much

criss-crossed  on  his  back

scars  from  his  daddy  like  slavery  tracks

the  second-last  child  was  the  second-last  king

never  again  was  it  the  same  in  the  ring

he  had  a  left  like  henry's  hammer

a  right  like  betty  bamalam  rode  with  the  muggers

in  the  dark  and  dread

and  all  them  sluggers  went  down  like  lead

they  never  could  be  sure  about  the  day  he  was  born

a  motherless  child  set  to  working  on  the  farm

and  they  never  could  be  sure  about  the  day  he  died

the  bear  was  the  king  they  cast  aside

beware  the  bear's  in  town

somebody's  money  says  the  bear's  going  down

yeah,  the  bear  never  smiles

sonny's  going  down  for  miles  and  miles

sonny's  going  down  for  miles  and  miles