Workingman's Blues #2 Lyrics

There's an evenin' haze settlin' over town
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down
Money's gettin' shallow and weakWell, the place I love best is a sweet memory
It's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are a reality
If we want to compete abroadMy cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearer to me than myself
As you yourself can seeWhile I'm listening to the steel rails hum
Got both eyes tight shut
Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from
Creeping it's way into my gutMeet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these workingman's bluesWell, I'm sailin' on back, ready for the long haul
Tossed by the winds and the seas
I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall

I'll sell 'em to their enemiesI'm tryin' to feed my soul with thought
Gonna sleep off the rest of the day
Sometimes no one wants what we got
Sometimes you can't give it awayNow the place is ringed with countless foes
Some of them may be deaf and dumb
No man, no woman knows
The hour that sorrow will comeIn the dark I hear the night birds call
I can feel a lover's breath
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall
Sleep is like a temporary deathMeet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these workingman's bluesWell, they burned my barn and they stole my horse
I can't save a dime
I got to be careful, I don't want to be forced
Into a life of continual crimeI can see for myself that the sun is sinking
How I wish you were here to see
Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking
That you have forgotten me?Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret
They waste your nights and days
Them I will forget
But you I'll remember alwaysOld memories of you to me have clung
You've wounded me with your words
Gonna have to straighten out your tongue
It's all true, everything you've heardMeet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these workingman's bluesIn you, my friend, I find no blame
Wanna look in my eyes, please do
No one can ever claim
That I took up arms against youAll across the peaceful sacred fields
They will lay you low
They'll break your horns and slash you with steel
I say it so it must be soNow I'm down on my luck and I'm black and blue
Gonna give you another chance
I'm all alone and I'm expecting you
To lead me off in a cheerful danceI got a brand new suit and a brand new wife
I can live on rice and beans
Some people never worked a day in their life
Don't know what work even meansMeet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these workingman's blues