I have begun to pay back my life in installments
Twentysix fifty a month -
That's a pint of lager and a parmigiana
That's a second-hand treasure from the record shop

I'm doing well, saving a life by the change in
My pockets, just six dollars eighty a week
That's two cups of coffee please or
Half a pack of guitar strings
(I'll pay you the other half right after the gig)

A penny for your smile, my friend
A penny for your cheer
A penny for your warm embrace
When I become a millionaire

A dollar a day is barely a ripple
There's hundreds in the fountain, thrown for a lark
Where the lovers dip their toes
And wet their hair and their clothes
The heads and the tails glisten like stars

A dollar a day's a sweet little bargain
You can't even buy decent candy for that
You can find it in a payphone
Or the tubs at the laundromat
Or the curbs at the bars where the punters
Spilled into cabs

A penny for your smile, my friend
A penny for your cheer
A penny for your warm embrace
When I become a millionaire

I have begun to pay back my life in installments
Three hundred dollars a year
That's a ticket to Dylan, dinner and a show
Or a visit for X-rays, just so we know

A penny aside for your smile, my friend
A penny for your cheer
A penny for your warm embrace
When I become a millionaire

A penny for your smile, my friend
A penny for your cheer
A penny for your warm embrace
When I become a millionaire