[Verse 1] Mama said take less And watch it last Milk in a jar Coins in a glass I learned the hard way On a road of dust Bent nails, sore hands A little bit of trust [Pre-Chorus] And when the rent came due We counted through the dark You held my shaking hand And lit a tiny spark [Chorus] We got by We got by With a loaf of bread And a porch light We got by We got by With your laugh in the room And mine [Verse 2] I fixed the fence With an old tin tie You planted beans By the back step line No grand parade No silver plate Just Sunday soup And a clean wood gate [Pre-Chorus] Some days were lean Some days were long But you and me Kept singing strong [Chorus] We got by We got by With a loaf of bread And a porch light We got by We got by With your laugh in the room And mine [Bridge] Now the storms roll in I don't run away I know how to bend I know how to stay If my hands are worn If the cupboard's bare I still find home When you're standing there [Final Chorus] We got by We got by With a loaf of bread And a porch light We got by We got by With your laugh in the room And mine We got by We got by And the simple life Made us shine