The childhood part of my life wasn't very pretty, see
I was born and raised in the slums of the city
It was a one-room shack that slept ten other children beside me
We hardly enough food or room to sleep
It was hard times
I needed somethin' to ease my troubled mind

Listen!
My father didn't know the meaning of work
He disrespected mama and treated us like dirt
I left home seeking a job that I never did find
The pressure came down hard and I took to cloud nine

I'm doing fine (up here!) on cloud nine
Listen, one more time
I'm doing fine (up here!) on cloud nine

Folks down there tell me!
They say give yourself a chance and don't let life pass you by
But the world in reality is a rat race where only the strongest survive
It's a dog-eat-dog world and that ain't no lie (ain't no lie)
It ain't even safe no more to walk the streets at night

I'm doing fine on cloud nine

Let me tell 'bout cloud nine
Cloud nine
You can be what you want to be
Cloud nine
You ain't got no responsibility
Cloud nine
And every man, every man is free
Cloud nine
You're a million miles from reality (reality)

Cloud nine
I wanna' say I love the life I live
And I'm going to live the life I love
Or be on cloud nine
I, I, I, I, I, I'm ridin' high
On cloud nine
You're as free as a burning flame
Cloud nine
There's no difference between day and night
Cloud nine
It's a world of love and harmony
Cloud nine
You're a million miles from reality (reality)

Cloud nine
You can be what you want to be, ah
Cloud nine
You ain't got no responsibility
Cloud nine
Every man in his mind is free
Cloud nine
You're a million miles from reality
Cloud nine
You can be what you want to be

I'm doing fine on cloud nine