[Verse 1]
I was brought up in a rough neighborhood
Where you learned more in the street than you learned in school, yes
Now, some of the fellas used to jive me around
But they were only jealous, jealous at what I was puttin' down
While they were shootin’ marbles and climbin' up and down trees
Peggy and Susan would be playin' house with me (Yeah, yeah)

[Chorus]
I was a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish)
Yeah, a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish boy)

[Verse 2]
I was a devil (At the age of three)
My mama (She used to try and talk to me)
She tried to talk to me
She said: "Listen, son, there’s no limit to what you can be
Don't waste your time with Tom, Dick and Harry
'Cause the company you keep is the name you will carry"
But, I went on and dropped out of school
'Cause I thought I was a man
But now, at 19, there's a lot of things I don't understand (Yeah, yeah, yeah)

[Chorus]
I was a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish)
Yeah, a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish boy)
Don't be too scared
Don't be too scared
Don’t be the [?]

[Outro]
I was a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish)
Yeah, a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish boy)
I was a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish)
Yeah, a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish boy)
I was a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish)
Yeah, a mannish, a mannish boy (Mannish boy)