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