White collar, blue collar, pink collar mass,
We're all sinking real fast.
And every single day,
They're taking our rights away –
The first to go is the working class.
Well, crawling on my knees
Ain't my cup of tea;
I'd rather kick a little ass, –because:
Hard Times are fightin' times for me.
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me.
Times were hard enough in what they called prosperity.
I'll be - damned if my belt is gonna tightin';
Let the suits on Wall Street do the bullet bitin'
'cause Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for me !
There's over forty million poor
Who cannot afford
A bed in a hospital ward.
With so much wealth in this land
You know I don't understand
Why we all can't have health care and more.
Well send my medical bills up to Capital Hill
That's what my tax money's for. – because:
Hard Times are Fightin' Times for me.
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me
Times were hard enough in what they called prosperity.
I'll be - damned if my belt is gonna tightin';
Let the politicians do the bullet bitin' -because
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for me !
I lost my job, fell off my horse;
They took my house; I had to get a divorce.
I'm on my last dollar, got holes in my shoes;
Might as well holler, I got nothin' to lose. –Yes
Well the whole damn corporate system is a mess
It's in rotting decay.
And they want the poor and working class to pay the penalty.
Get up out of bed, and wake up the dead,
'cause it's a brand new day. –because:
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me.
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me.
Times were hard enough in what they called prosperity.
I'll be - damned if my belt is gonna tightin';
Let big business do the big bullet bitin' –'cause
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times
for you and me.!
We're all sinking real fast.
And every single day,
They're taking our rights away –
The first to go is the working class.
Well, crawling on my knees
Ain't my cup of tea;
I'd rather kick a little ass, –because:
Hard Times are fightin' times for me.
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me.
Times were hard enough in what they called prosperity.
I'll be - damned if my belt is gonna tightin';
Let the suits on Wall Street do the bullet bitin'
'cause Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for me !
There's over forty million poor
Who cannot afford
A bed in a hospital ward.
With so much wealth in this land
You know I don't understand
Why we all can't have health care and more.
Well send my medical bills up to Capital Hill
That's what my tax money's for. – because:
Hard Times are Fightin' Times for me.
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me
Times were hard enough in what they called prosperity.
I'll be - damned if my belt is gonna tightin';
Let the politicians do the bullet bitin' -because
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for me !
I lost my job, fell off my horse;
They took my house; I had to get a divorce.
I'm on my last dollar, got holes in my shoes;
Might as well holler, I got nothin' to lose. –Yes
Well the whole damn corporate system is a mess
It's in rotting decay.
And they want the poor and working class to pay the penalty.
Get up out of bed, and wake up the dead,
'cause it's a brand new day. –because:
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me.
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times for you and me.
Times were hard enough in what they called prosperity.
I'll be - damned if my belt is gonna tightin';
Let big business do the big bullet bitin' –'cause
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times
Hard Times Are Fightin' Times
for you and me.!
Contributed by giorgio - 2012/9/26 - 08:25
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[reworked in 1988] by C. Michael Stout
Album: Break the Chains [2007]
If there can be such a thing as an apocalyptic love song, Mike Stout's album Break the Chains is it. His latest offering is a mix of a few earlier songs with new arrangements, and new songs that mix expressions of love and pleas for solidarity with dire warnings of coming disaster without humanity's awakening to revolutionary change. The philosophical vision is best captured in the title Break the Chains.
We'll never stop all the violence with more violence. Never break the code of silence with more silence. As long as we keep playing the game, the game will go on. As long as we keep staying the same, the same'll come along. We'll never stop all the war, with more war and hate. Never stop all the terror with the terror of the state. After laying the groundwork, the record proceeds with two sweet love songs, including the beautiful tribute to his wife, Covered Wooden Bridges to Your Heart, and his song-ode to the Appalachian Mountains, Heaven's Mist, then four rousing calls to struggle, back to two warm songs of tribute and plaintive questionings, only to end with a rousing call to revolution. The entire effort is lushly orchestrated and demonstrates the polishing effect of working and reworking earlier material, with Jim Croce-like acoustic guitar duets featuring one of Pittsburgh's finest guitarists, Fred Nelson. An example is the remake of Hard Times are Fightin' Times which traditionally Stout has performed as an angry rocker. This time the fighting words are delivered in a bouncy, bluesy style that is if anything more effective when understated. The whole damned corporate system's a mess. It's in rotten decay. They want the poor, working and middle class to pay the penalty... Well damned if my belt is gonna tighten, let big business do the big bullet bitin' – Hard times are fightin' times for me. A recurring part of Stout's song production includes tributes to the heroes and heroines of the working-class.
This album has a remake of "Flowers of the Working Class", his tribute to two radical steelworkers from Youngstown, Ohio.