A Ceiling, Four Walls and a Floor Songtext
von Johnny Cash

His daddy said, "Son, you oughta quit dreamin′
Put your feet on the ground and your future in the hands of
The Lord." But the boy said, "No, that ain't enough Dad
All you got here is a ceilin′, four walls, and a floor
" He left his home in Buckaloo County, he went thumbin'
And sleepin' on the roadside, livin′ in jeans
Along about Pittsburgh, he got him a good job, bought
Him a brand new Malibu Chevy that was part of his dreams
He met a pretty girl, she was thinkin′ of a family
He bought a lot of tapes for his Malibu Chevy but he didn't want more
And the pretty girl said, "Boy, you oughta slow down."
He said, "Who needs a ceilin′, four walls, and a floor?
" He did a little drinkin', he did a little gamblin′
Shot a little nine-ball, bet a little money on the football game
He picked up a habit, he got it on the sidewalk His habit got bigger but his weekly paycheck stayed the same
His daddy wrote letters, but he never answered
The pretty girl begged him to give up
The habit and to work on a change
It was a real small gun and a real small robbery
They locked him up and they traded him a number for his name
It ain't no big news, it ain′t no big story
You didn't see it in the papers so I guess we oughta put it in a song
The boy got hooked and he couldn't get unhooked
And it′s happenin′ somewhere now and maybe that's what′s wrong
His daddy said, "Son, you oughta quit dreamin'
Put your feet on the ground and your future in the hands of
The Lord." But the boy said, "No, that ain′t enough Dad
All you got here is a ceilin', four walls, and a floor."