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 could not bear the hurt To see the state 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 a 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 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 For 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