If ever I have a son in life, I'll call him in one day
Sit him down upon my knee and here is what I'll say

You might lose your lover, people do sometime
Oh, but it won't make sense for you to sit around cryin'
Son, don't you know that when you fall in love
Sometimes, you're gonna have the blues

Well, it may take years
but you're gonna she'd some tears
'Cause everybody's got to pay some dues, now, now
Everybody's got to pay some dues

You might have money, yeah, and a big fine car
It don't matter what you look like
No, no it don't matter who you are
Son, don't you know you can't win all the time

Sometime you're gonna have to lose
Just as long as you live
You got to take as well as give
'Cause everybody's got to pay some dues, now, now
Everybody's got to pay some dues

Whoa whoa whoa
(Whoa whoa whoa)
Yeah yeah yeah
(Yeah yeah yeah)

Yeah hea hea hea hea hea
(Yeah hea hea hea hea hea)
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)

Well now, everybody's got to pay some dues
Yeah don't you know it now
Everybody's got to pay some dues

Make no mistakes now son
About the things I told you
I don't want you to think, yeah yeah
That I'm tryin' to scold you

Son because I know
You got to fall in love sometime
Be careful who you choose
'Cause it's sure my son before your life is done

You'll find that everybody's got to pay some dues
Yeah don't you know it now
Everybody's got to pay some dues
Dues, got to pay some dues, got to pay some dues

I've got to pay, he's got to pay
You've got to pay and she's got to pay
No matter what you do, I say
There is gonna come a day

When you gonna have to pay
Can't nobody get away from dues
Yeah yeah yeah, now

Copyright: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Writer(s): RONALD WHITE, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.