Oh, I laid down your railroads, every mile of track
With the muscles on my arm and the sweat upon my back
And now the trains are rolling, they roll to every shore
You tell me that my job is through, there ain't no work no more.
Though I laid down your highways all across the land
With the ringing of the steel and the power of my hands
And now the roads are there like ribbons in the sky
You tell me that my job is through, but still I wonder why.
For the wages were low and the hours were long
And the labor was all I could bear
Now you've got new machines for to take my place
And you tell me it's not mine to share
Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields
With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels
And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all aglow
I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go?
For the wages were low and the hours were long
And the labor was all I could bear
Now you've got new machines for to take my place
And you tell me it's not mine to share
Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields
With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels
And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all aglow
I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go?
Tell me, where am I to go?
With the muscles on my arm and the sweat upon my back
And now the trains are rolling, they roll to every shore
You tell me that my job is through, there ain't no work no more.
Though I laid down your highways all across the land
With the ringing of the steel and the power of my hands
And now the roads are there like ribbons in the sky
You tell me that my job is through, but still I wonder why.
For the wages were low and the hours were long
And the labor was all I could bear
Now you've got new machines for to take my place
And you tell me it's not mine to share
Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields
With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels
And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all aglow
I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go?
For the wages were low and the hours were long
And the labor was all I could bear
Now you've got new machines for to take my place
And you tell me it's not mine to share
Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields
With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels
And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all aglow
I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go?
Tell me, where am I to go?
Contributed by giorgio - 2022/6/5 - 10:00
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Lyrics & music by Philip David Ochs
Album: All the News That's Fit to Sing
"We have built everything with our sweat, and now you are throwing us away and replacing us with machines .."
Guitar: Danny Kalb
Producer: Jac Holzman
Guitar, Vocals: Phil Ochs
Writer: Phil Ochs