[Verse 1: Dennis Edwards] The childhood part of my life It wasn't very pretty You 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 had enough food Or room to sleep It was hard times Needed something to ease My troubled mind [Verse 2: Paul Williams] Mmm, 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 Depressed and downhearted I took to Cloud Nine [Chorus: Paul Williams] I'm doing fine Up here, on Cloud Nine Listen, one more time I'm doing fine Up here, on Cloud Nine [Verse 3: Dennis Edwards] Folks down there tell me They say, "Give yourself a chance, son Don't let life pass you by But the world of 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) Listen, it ain't even safe no more To walk the streets at night" [Chorus: Eddie Kendricks and Dennis Edwards] I'm doing fine on Cloud Nine Let me tell you about Cloud Nine [Bridge] (Cloud Nine) You can be what you wanna be (Cloud Nine) You ain't got no responsibility (Cloud Nine) And every man, every man is free (Cloud Nine) And you're a million miles from reality (Reality) I wanna sail upper, higher Upper, up, up, and away Cloud Nine [Break: Eddie Kendricks] I wanna say I love the life I live And I'm gonna live the life I love Up here on Cloud Nine I-I-I-I-I, I'm riding high [Bridge] (On Cloud Nine) You're as free as a bird in flight (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) I wanna sail upper, higher Upper, up, up, and away [Outro] (Cloud Nine) You can be what you wanna be (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 wanna be