Honest Work

I'm not afraid to bend my back
I'm not afraid of dirt
But how I fear the things I do
For lack of honest work

My family is lost to me
They couldn't bear the hurt
To see the shape their boy is in
For lack of honest work

I hold no blame for anyone
Twas I who did arrange
To pay my union dues so I'd
Not have to learn or change

And when I was replaced, twas I
Who started down the hill
And drank away my savings til
I couldn't stop myself

The prophets of the brave new world
Captains of industry
Have visions grand and great designs
But none have room for me

They see a world where everyone
Is rich and smart and young
But if I live to see such things
Too late for me they come

And I know I'm not the only one
To fall beneath the wheel
Such company cannot assuage
The loneliness I feel

So many are resigned to be
Society's debris
But I will be remembered for
The life life took from me