Now a good friend of mine
Sat with me and he cried
He told me a story

I know he ain't lying

Said he went for a job

And mr. man said
Without an education
You might as well be dead


Now don't get me wrong
Said, it's not who you are

But people come to me
From near and far


But i do just what
And i follow the rules
I didn't have an education

So i had to go back to school

Tell me one more time, people now

(what do you say)
Without an education
You might as well be dead


One more time (what do you say)
Without an education

You might as well be dead

My friends told all his buddies

That he loved so well
And of their personal troubles
I will not tell


Now those guys didn't seem
Good and they didn't seem bad

They didn't seem happy and
I know they weren't sad


But the point isn't
That they follow the rules
They got an education

And they been in school

Now underneath his tears

I could see the true fact
He dropped out of school
Never, never went back


Tell me one more time, people
(what do you say)

Without an education
You might as well be dead


Got to, got to, got to listen now
(what do you say)
Without an education

(might as well be dead)

One day he got tired

Of his little spending change
So he looked up his friends
And checked their pay range


When he got there, the crib
He found that he was a drag

Cause, man, they were clean
And his clothes were like rags


One was a business man
With plenty of dough
He had his thing so set up

You know he couldn't blow

The other had his job so uptight

He had his whole family
And his kids all out of sight

Tell me one more time now
(what do you say)

Without an education
(might as well be dead)

You got to, got to
Got to get a little learning

(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

What made him so hurt

That these were his friends
And he was a drag
They looked at him and
He was in the same old bag


His friends worked real hard
When the work day was through
Now, he realized he should have
Done the same thing too

Tell me one more time now

Lookie here
(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

You got to, got to, got to
Get a little learning now

(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

For the last time, i'm gonna say
They kept on pushing
When the going was tough

And now they know that
Things don't seem so rough

Well, kids, stay in school
Don't be no drag
Let the fool advise you
And stay out of that bag


Look here, tell me, bobby
Tell me one more time
(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)


Tell me, the jewels
Tell me now one more time
(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

Everybody, tell me one more time

(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

You got to, got to, got to
Got to get some learning now
(what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

Don't be a drop-out
Stay in school
Now listen to me
(what do you say)
Kids, kids
(might as well be dead)

No, no (what do you say)
Without an education
(might as well be dead)

Stay in school
Have a good time
(what do you say)...