Trouble Man Lyrics
I come up hard, baby, but now I'm cool
I didn't make it, sugar, playing by the rules
I come up hard, baby, but now I'm fine
I'm checking trouble, sugar, moving down the line
I come up hard, baby, but that's okay
'Cause Trouble Man don't get in my way
[Post-Verse 1]
I come up hard, baby
I've been for real, baby
Gonna keep moving, gonna go to town
I come up hard, I come up gettin' down
There's only three things, that's for sure
Taxes, death, and trouble, oh
This I've known, baby, this I've known, sugar
Yeah, ain't gonna let it sweat me, babe
[Interlude]
It's got me singing
Yeah, yeah
Woo-ooh
[Verse 2]
I come up hard, baby, I had to fight
Took care of my business with all my might
I come up hard, awful hard, I had to win
Then start all over and win again
I come up hard, but that's okay
'Cause Trouble Man don't get in my way, hey, hey
I know some places
And I see some faces
I got good connections
They dig my directions
What people say, that's okay
They don't bother me, no
I'm ready to make it
Don't care what the weather
Don't care 'bout no trouble
Got myself together
I feel that kind of protection
That's all around me
[Post-Verse 2]
I come up hard, baby
I've been for real, baby, with the troubled minds
I'm moving, going to town
I come up hard, I come up gettin' down
There's only three things for sure
Taxes, death, and trouble, oh
This I've known, baby, this I've known, baby
Ain't gonna let it sweat me, babe
Woo, oh lord, baby
[Verse 3]
Woo, I come up hard, but now I'm cool
I didn't make it, baby, playing by the rules
I come up hard, baby, now I'm fine
I'm checking trouble, sugar
Hey, moving down the line, oh
About
After Isaac Hayes hit it big with his Oscar-winning “Theme from Shaft” in 1971, every soul singer worth his salt wanted to try his hand at producing a hit soundtrack for a “blaxploitation” film. Marvin Gaye was no exception and came out with the soundtrack to the 20th Century Fox film Trouble Man in 1972. The title track, which became a #4 R&B hit single, describes a stereotypical 70s black action hero who came up hard in the ghetto and has to play by his own rules to survive.
The song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after its use in Captain America: Winter Soldier. Falcon refers to the album after Captain America asks how to catch up on the past 70 years, telling him it’s “everything you missed jammed into one album.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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