That's What It Takes to Make a Man - Jerry Capehart, Eddie Cochran

Well it seems I’ve had a lifetime filled with misery

I remember how it all began

The doctor grabbed my feet, slapped me on the cheek

That’s what it takes to make a man

Even as a baby they were pinnin' things on me

Daddy called me mother’s little lamb

But you should have seen 'em rave

When I gave the dog a shave

That’s what it takes to make a man

They thought I was a genius, when I first went to school

Then I flunked my very first exam

And for all the books I’ve read

There' s just sawdust in my head

That’s what it takes to make a man

Well I finally finished highschool, tried some college too

Then I did a hitch with Uncle Sam

I fought the enemy, sergeants I’ll agree

That’s what it takes to make a man

Well I went back to my hometown

Where the mayor was my friend

Said he knew a job that I could lend

Well I got that job alright

Cleaned the streets up every night

That’s what it takes to make a man

Well I got a new position in a dry good store down town

Bought my gal a golden wedding band

But she up and fled the scene

When it turned her finger green

That’s what it takes to make a man

Oh yeah, that’s what it takes to make a man