I'm not afraid to bend my back
I'm not afraid of dirt
But how I fear the thing I do
For the lack of honest work
My family is lost to me
They could not bear the hurt
To see the state their boy is in
For the 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 was I
Who started down the hill
And drank away my savings 'till
I couldn't stop myself

The prophets of a brave new world
Captains of industry
Have visions grand and great designs
But non 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
I know I'm not the only one
To fall beneath the wheel
Such company can not 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