When You Give It Away

(album: Christmas Again - 1986)

She'd give you the shirt right off of her back
And he would squeeze a penny 'til it hollered too
She couldn't hang on to nothing she had
And he couldn't let go
No never wanted to

She was standing on the corner of Faith and Hope
When he came rushing by
Taking up coins for the Salvation Army
When the song she sang brought a tear to his eye

When you give it away
When you give it away
It all comes back tenfold they say
The more you give, the more you shall receive
Oh, when you give it away
When you give it away
Mouths are fed and souls are saved
Some things money can't buy 'til you give it away

On his way to work and on his way home
He paid more and more attention to the singer than the song
But every day she seemed to grow
Weaker 'til he found her shaking in the cold

So he grabbed her up, took her in
Wrapped her in his coat
For she had given hers to a stranger
And with anger in his voice,
He told her what he thought

Girl, when you give it away
When you give it away
It all comes back tenfold you say
But the more you give, the more they seem to take
Oh, when you give it away
When you give it away
A heart of gold is an easy prey
And you're left out in the cold when you give it away

As she looked into his eyes
She saw the love they held for her
And asked if it was not because I gave my all
You saw my worth

When you give it away
When you give it away
It all comes back tenfold they say
The more you give, the more you shall receive
When you give it away
When you give it away
The Lord smiles down on a better place
Some things money can't buy 'til you give it away

Love is one thing money can't buy when you give it away