Issue No 144 Labor Day Massacre Lyrics

Brother, you know we're all in this alone,
Take what you can get, break all but your bones
And when they finally ask, 'well, what have you done?'
Say, 'life is a game and I've won, yes I've won!'
Say, 'life is a game and I've won!'

You gave
The asphalt a heave and then looked back at me,
Said, 'that is a word from the wise ones indeed!'
When you've been here this long, one day you belong
One day you wake up and forget what seemed wrong.
And the first day of May, well it quietly passed by,
As the bosses still reign five to nine.
And you curse when I say words like living and wage
You say, 'I made my house outta mud, so should they.
Now the ball field is level, let's play!'

I think of the bullets, the blood, and the rage
That went in there to stir up the eight hour day.
Seems the masters have found themselves new rats to cage
And the price for a union is great.
Well they gave her a raise so they raised up her rent
She says, 'I'll never burst from this box that I'm in!'
But she's too scared to talk, to step off the sidewalk,
So she shrugs it all off as the luck of the draw.
And the labor you cry that's been robbed from your kind
With dirt on your hands and sweat in your eyes
If the fortunate son really wants to eat dust,
Well I'm sure there's a good chance he'll be hired.
There's a million stories of the crimes left to rot
But I never will raise as long as I sleep on the job.

Oh yeah, you say,
'Brother, you know we're all in this alone,
Take what you can get, break all but your bones!'
And when they finally ask, 'well, what have you done?'
Say, 'life is a game and I'm done!