"while Eric Burdon didn't feel comfortable singing the part of a woman trapped in a life of prostitution, so sang the part of a man trapped in a life of paying for sex (or perhaps a boy trapped in a life of prostitution). He sang, "It's been the ruin of many poor girl, and me Oh God, I'm one."

I think you'll find he sang, "It's been the ruin of many a poor boy". At least, he did in the recorded version which topped the UK charts in the '60s...

Recording with Lyrics