Joe Jencks

Inspired by my friend Phil Amadon who has worked for the railroads most of his adult life.

If you have a minute John, I sure feel like hell
The union vote is coming up and things aren't looking well
You know I'd like to stand up for the things that I believe
But it seems that my life's not as simple as it used to be

I was born in Tulsa back in 1951
They say that I could drive a spike before I learned to run
In a land of dust and corn the rails spoke a steel truth
The men that kept them working were the heroes of my your for they sang

Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Working for the railway (x 2)

When I was a young man and I thought to run away
A freight train it came through our town and I got on one day
I rode it down to Gallup and than back to Santa Fe
And every where I listened I could hear the railway workers singing (chorus)

In 1969 I met a soul to match my life
But her father said that I must have a job to take a wife
And so I looked around at all the work that I might do
I found that it was time for me to sing the only song I knew (chorus)

Now we have five children and they bring me joy each day
But the bills keep getting higher and I've nothing left to pay
The union says that we must strike and stand up don't you see
But I've just got too damn many people who depend on me (chorus)

At the heart of every worker is the welfare of his kin
And to walk away from pay that's good, it seems is such a sin
But the bosses they don't understand how hard I work each night
But I've got mouths to feed and so I do my part till daylight singing (chorus x 2)

© 2000 Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music