It may have taken a few decades for us to catch up, but those lines could well describe the plight of the Kiwis caught on the wrong side of a property boom.
Their struggles, and the issues arising from them, have come to the fore in recent months.
If any reinforcement of just how desperate the situation is was needed, it came in the form of a report to Tauranga City Council this week about people living in their cars. As of November, 53 known vehicles were being used for accommodation in the city - but it could be as high as 100.
The number has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic, and is likely to rise further due to an increase in income loss and the lack of availability and unaffordability of rentals.
The report proposes establishing a dedicated space so people living in their cars have somewhere safe to sleep.
The council seems to know how this will be perceived.
The report points out it is an "interim intervention" and the council doesn't consider living and sleeping in cars is "an appropriate level of housing for any member of the public".
However, those doing so feel they have run out of alternatives for a variety of reasons, "predominantly due to a lack of access to emergency and social housing, and a lack of affordable rental properties".
"The aim of the proposed solution is to provide a safe location for car sleepers, while supporting the wellbeing of individuals and families to regain supported independence, access to wraparound services, and appropriate housing," the report says.
It's saddening to think families are having to live like this - and so are the findings from council staff based on conversations with car-sleepers.
Their wish lists included such basics as showers and toilets, cooking facilities such as a community barbecue, food support and meals, an outlet for charging phones and drinking water.
They were also asked what would make them feel safe when sleeping in their car. Responses included having a friend or whānau member with them, blankets and food, and a private area.
The fact that such an "interim intervention" is needed, in my opinion, is a result of years of failings by central government to adequately address the need for more social housing.
Similar issues are playing out in Rotorua, where concerns have been raised that out-of-town homeless in motels are destroying the city's image.
Watchdog Security chief executive Brett Wilson says his staff regularly deal with people who moved into emergency motel accommodation from other areas, regarding issues relating to family violence, petty crime and disorder.
The ministry has denied this, saying the "overwhelming majority of people in emergency housing in Rotorua are local".
The city's mayor, Steve Chadwick, who has sought assurances that MSD is not actively bringing people here from other centres, hit the nail on the head, stating emergency accommodation in motels was not a viable long-term solution.
Discussing the issue in Rotorua this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said public housing is a big focus for the Government, which plans to provide 18,000 public houses nationally by 2024, increase transitional housing and address the lack of housing stock in general.
It's a lofty aim and will go a long way to addressing homelessness, but 2024 would seem like an eternity for someone who is living their car.
Providing a safe space for car-sleepers might be addressing the symptoms of a problem rather than the cause but Tauranga City Council deserves credit for trying to do something - anything - to help those in need.
As disappointing as it may be, we've reached the needs-must point when dealing with homelessness.
