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Ain't It a Pity?

by Sam Steffen

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1.
Hey ma, wake up it’s me, it’s your boy, Tom Joad I’d love to but I can’t stay long, I’ve gotta hit the road In the morning they’ll be lookin for me high up and down low Cops from every county from Salinas to Frisco But I only got a minute here so I won’t make this long I ain’t always done the right thing, hell, sometimes I been wrong But as long as I am gonna be an outlaw from now on Wherever there’s a stone unturned, hereby, I swear— I will be there, I will be there Wherever you can go to think some lonesome thought I will be there, I will be there I will be there, so help me God I’m ingredient to humankind, a partial to the whole Tho I walk upon the stage of life I play a minor role I am portion to the giant universal human soul Which exists within everybody everywhere So I’ll be there when you’re weary, when you’re lonesome and afraid When the delivery of all that you’ve been promised aint been made When there ain’t no superhero to come rushin to your aid When you got everything to lose and no time to spare I will be there, I will be there When the road becomes too narrow and the wilderness too broad I will be there, I will be there I will be there, so help me God I will be in every crevice of this bright world that’s gone dark I will be in every desperate hallow achin broken heart Long after its all over and well before it starts Anyplace that folks can’t go or just don’t dare Wherever there’s a stranger sayin I’m too young to die Wherever there’s a prayer that’s bein prayed up to the sky Wherever there’s an angry cop just beatin up some guy And the fight just don’t seem justified nor fair I will be there, I will be there So the one’s that go unseen unheard won’t be forgot I will be there, I will be there I will be there, so help me God Wherever fights’re brewin up so that hungry folks can eat Wherever there’s a cry for revolution in the street Wherever there’s a stranger who ain’t marchin to the beat Who repels his last companion as he draws a stare In the way that guys start yelling when they’re stark raving mad In the sighin folks’re doing who’ve lost everything they’ve had In the singin and the laughin of the children when they’re glad In the cryin and the quiet of when they’re scared I will be there, I will be there In the worry of the guilty ones that ain’t yet been caught I will be there, I will be there I will be there so help me God I guess I’d better go now, ma, cause soon it will be dawn I’d just like to say I’m sorry for all the screwing up I done But just cause I ain’t here no more it doesn’t mean I’m gone I will be with you on every step of every stair Tomorrow when they come for me, you tell em I was here Tell em that you saw me but that you didn’t see me clear Tell em I’m the echo that’s been whispering in your ear Tell em if they’re looking for me anywhere I will be there, I will be there Wherever someone’s lonesome in a stranded spot I will be there, I will be there Wherever folks are thirsty and can’t find a drop Wherever there’s a road that ain’t been tried or trod Wherever I am wanted pursued or sought I will be there, I will be there I will be there, so help me God
2.
Come mothers and fathers, come sisters and brothers Lend an ear to the stories they’re telling Of the neighborhood watchman in the Florida town Who shot and killed Trayvon Martin O, the time it was night and the evening was cold And the month it was late February Trayvon Martin at only seventeen years old Too young for an obituary On his way back home from a convenience store Through the yards of his neighbors was walkin George Zimmerman spied him while making his rounds And made a call down to the station “HQ, HQ,” mister Zimmerman said, “This is nightwatchman Zimmerman calling, I have just spied a suspicious black male In our gated community walking— “How shall I proceed, shall I make an arrest Shall I follow and see where he takes me? Could this be the man whom we’ve been looking for Who committed those robberies lately?” “Well this is HQ,” the headquarters said, “To nightwatchman Zimmerman calling, Do not pursue—repeat—do not pursue, For you haven’t the grounds to suspect him.” “Ten four, ten four,” mister Zimmerman said, But he pulled up to roll slowly by him, And when the young man saw the slow patrol car He took off a fearfully runnin “No grounds? No grounds?” mister Zimmerman thought “If there’s no grounds then why is he running?” And quick as a flash he leapt out of his car Bringing his handgun with him Well over a fence and through the back yards The armed nightwatchman chased Trayvon Martin A distance in excess of one hundred yards Til he finally cornered and caught him O down, O down to the ground they did fall The ground where they both had been standing Trayvon to fight for his life gainst the man The man for to somehow subdue him “Submit, submit!” mister Zimmerman cried “Submit and throw down your weapon!” “I will not submit!” Trayvon Martin replied, “For I’m unarmed and I haven’t done nothing!” And as the two fought on the ground in the dark A gunshot rang out clear as crystal Trayvon Martin had been shot through the chest At close range by Zimmerman’s pistol Come mothers and fathers, come sisters and brothers Lend an ear to the stories they’re telling Of the neighborhood watchman in the Florida town Who shot and killed Trayvon Martin For a day and a night the body went without name As he was when his mother had birthed him Until a call came from his father at home Saying that his son had been missing O down, o down to the morgue he was called To see if this was his son who’d been missing “O, God, it’s him!” his bereaved father cried, “That’s the body of Trayvon Martin,” “My son, my son, O Trayvon, my son—” His poor mother cried, nearly wild, “He wasn’t no symbol, didn’t die for no cause, He was only my baby, my child, “And what did he do, for what was he killed, For wearing dark clothes and a hoodie? Is it just me or does it still feel Like it’s a crime to be black in this country?” Well charges were pressed and a trial was set And a jury was formed all at random And of the twelve who were chosen to serve, There wasn’t one black face among them “The defendant, George Zimmerman,” the prosecution declared, “He is getting away here with murder, How can you defend a defender of peace Who says shoot first and ask questions later?” “Yes, that was my gun, I fired that round,” George Zimmerman finally admitted But despite all the facts in the end he was found Not guilty and was fully acquitted The defense lawyers claimed he had just stood his ground And no evidence showed the contrary Trayvon Martin by then for more than a year Neath six feet of ground had lain buried And for all you who say that here justice was done, Here is something for you to consider When a nightwatchman shoots and unarmed black man to death They do not define it as murder Come judges, come kings, come you counselors on down Who maintain the law’s fair and equal Come look what they done in a florida town And say it would be the same for all people
3.
I went down to the chapel last easter morning, Hadn’t been for a while, it seemed like a good time I was counting on hearing a beautiful sermon By the preacher there who’s an old friend of mine I’s a few minutes late, the service was crowded An usher escorted me into my seat Soon as I had sat down the sermon had started, The next thing that I knew, I had fell fast asleep And while I was sleepin while the preacher was preachin A most peculiar vision visited me I dreamt that the person sittin beside me Was none other than jesus of old galilee Well he put out his hand, and he said, “Nice to meet you,” There wasn’t no halo hangin over his head He looked old and tired and he smelled sorta pungent As you’d imagine a man who just came back from the dead He wanted to know if I’d show him around some And keep him a secret, he didn’t want to be seen I agreed to his terms and he asked what the date was I said, “It’s easter Sunday, 2014” It occurred to me then just what jesus was in for Having never set foot within our day and age He’d probably never seen a car or an airplane Or watched a television or read the sportspage Well out of the church we two then proceeded While the preacher in the pulpit was left carryin on I asked old jesus what he thought of the sermon He said he thought it had gone on too long We stepped outside into the city Where the wind blew a newspaper right up to our feet Jesus picked it up and he started to readin, And the words that he said, he was bound to repeat, he said: Aint it a pity? Aint it a shame? I’m gone two thousand years and the world hasn’t changed There’s still wars bein fought, there’s still people in chains Aint it a pitiful shame? Well we walked for a while through the slums and the alleys Jesus took it all in like he’d seen it before Healing the sick, feeding the hungry Helping the needy, the grievin, the poor Somehow or other we made it to wall-street Where we stood out like bums at a rich folks’ parade Jesus pulled on the coat-tails of a shiny tuxedo Asked the fella who wore it how his money was made Well the fella turned red and told us to get lost He said, “That’s my business and none of your own!” He said, “If I had a dollar to give every beggar I’d be out of a job and out of a home!” Jesus said, Aint that a pity? Aint that a shame? I’m gone two thousand years and the world hasn’t changed Sure the buildings are taller, but the people’s the same Ain’t that a pitiful shame? While jesus was talkin, the man lets out a whistle And up comes this officer lookin servile and all He says “What’s the trouble?” and the man points right at us The officer makes us put our hands on the wall And while he is friskin, jesus starts talkin Says, “You won’t get to heaven by buyin your way!” When the officer heard that he started to beat him Dragged us both to his squad car to haul us away Down at the courthouse they questioned and searched us Took prints of our fingers and asked us our names When I told them mine, they didn’t say nothing When jesus said his, well they called him insane, jesus said, Aint that a pity? Aint that a shame? I’m gone two thousand years and the world hasn’t changed To the people in charge the truth still sounds insane Aint that a pitiful shame? Well we went fore the judge who asked what our crime was, The officer said we’s tryin to steal from the rich He said he’d be doin both us a favor Brought down his gavel, said the sentence was death, jesus said, Aint that a pity? Aint that a shame? I’m gone two thousand years and the world hasn’t changed They kill you once, if you come back, they’ll kill you again Aint that a pitiful shame? Well when I awoke I was still in the chapel The sermon was over, everyone had gone home Except for one person way up in the front row Who had his head bent and was prayin alone Well I got up to leave so as not to disturb him I tried to be quiet so I wouldn’t be heard But when I got to the front, and started to pass him I couldn’t help overhearing some familiar words Aint it a pity? Aint it a shame? It’s been two thousand years and the world hasn’t changed! When I think of the violence that’s been done in christ’s name Aint it a pitiful shame?
4.
Rich folks get—richer and richer Sick folks get—sicker and sicker And the gap between em gets—bigger and bigger And the days go by—quicker and quicker And everybody dies—sooner or later Nobody comes out ahead If you can’t be any richer than to know you’re alive You can’t be any poorer than dead Hired on Monday Tuesday I’m fired Rent keeps getting higher and higher Money keeps getting scarcer and scarcer While my pantry keeps getting barer and barer Somebody mustve made an error somewhere Cause my own kids I can’t keep fed I gotta remind em when they tell me they’re hungry That you cant be any poorer than dead Chorus I tried to hide it but I guess its apparent Nothing for my kids to hand down from my parents Nothing to lose or to gain as inheritance Save for maybe a hatred of arrogance Last week I made out my last will and testament And golly do you know what it said It said you can’t be any richer than to know you’re alive And you can’t be any poorer than dead Chorus Population keeps increasing Earth’s resources are near depletion Our furthest limits we’re near to reachin And the brakes of progress are hardly screechin In a schoolhouse somewhere a teacher’s teachin This is the observable trend You can’t be any richer than to know you’re alive And you can’t be any poorer than dead Chorus World is getting warmer and warmer Soon it’ll be perpetual summer With an ice-cube salesman on every corner Sellin ice cubes at a hundred and a quarter And I’ll take ten tho I can’t afford em But what’s just a little more debt? When you cant be any richer than to know you’re alive You cant be any poorer than dead Chorus Scientists are workin harder and harder To make machines that’re smarter and smarter That can kill more people cheaper and faster That’ll lead us right to nuclear disaster Everybody thinks that it’s power he’s after Cause everybody wants to forget That you can’t be any richer than to know you’re alive And you can’t be any poorer than dead chorus
5.
I Need a Job 04:45
Chorus: Job! I need a job! I need a job, job, job Job! I need a job! I need a job! Job! Job! I filled out your applications, I supplied my resume I can’t wait until tomorrow you got to let me know today Are you hirin? Are you firing? Are you letting people go? If there’s room in there for new recruits you gotta let me know. I’m the best that you could hire, I’m persistent as they come I don’t never quit a project til the project is all done I won’t complain I won’t talk back I’ll be as servile as can be If you want someone who’ll be faithful then you got to hire me I’ll come early I’ll stay later, I’ll do more than what I’m asked I’ll exceed your expectations in every chore and task Chorus What position am I looking for? What positions have you got? I’ll do anything you pay me to, reasonable or not I’ll clean toilets, I’ll mop basements, I’ll sweep chimneys, roof to floor I’ll bake muffins, I’ll make coffee, I’ll sell insurance door-to-door I’ll sort clothing, I’ll deliver pizza, I’ll answer telephones all day As long as you are payin me I’ll do anything you say I’ll throw papers, give directions, I’ll tear tickets to the show I’ll ring up groceries, make inspections, I’ll watch watermelons grow I’ll collect garbage, I’ll wash dishes, I’ll write tickets by the score I’ll dance around in public just to advertise your store Chorus Check my background, check my birthday, check the references I’ve named Tho if you’d just take my word for it, it’ll amount to about the same Qualifications, certifications, education—I got those And as for my experience, well I got that too I spose I been a farmer, been a baker, been a fast hand on the line Been a salesman, been a showman, been in trades of every kind I’m quick to learn, slow to forget, I’ll be the easiest to train Everything’s my occupation, and hard-work’s my middle name I ain’t beggin for no handouts, I aim to work to make my wage I’ll do whatever work you ask me, at whatever rate it pays Chorus I got kids and they are hungry I got a wife that’s hungry too Mouths to feed from Pennsylvania all the way to Timbuktu My landlady is a hounddog and I’m three months late on rent The inheritance I just received, well somehow it got spent I got bills and fees and fines to pay, the none of which I can I would have to be ten people, but I only am one man I’m deep in debt, you bet, seems I owe everybody some Ain’t got two dimes to rub together, hell, I ain’t even got a one I asked you once politely, now I’m beggin on my knees Now I’m kissin your old bootstrings, just gimme that job, please Chorus Song! I got a song! I got a song! Song ! Song! And if you don’t start to pay me I’ll just sing it all day long Chorus
6.
When your employer works you harder than you’re paid to And you can’t ask for a raise cause you’re afraid to And your money can’t be spent on anything except the rent And you pray it will relent but nothing saves you Hurry up, don’t wait Don’t you flinch or hesitate You got one chance to change your fate, it can’t be missed If you got reason to complain Against your labor or your pain Step forth and put your name down on this list When the doctor asks to see a form of payment Fore he’ll lift a broken man up off the pavement And he’ll tell you with a smile you only need to rest a while And then he’ll charge you for what he calls the entertainment Chorus When the judge seldomer forgives than incarcerates And crime numbers are inconsistent with arrest rates And if you can’t afford the fine, you’ll have to do the time For holding drugs that have been legalized in some states Chorus When money’s the only way to climb the ladder And the fat cats at the top keep getting fatter And the poor folk and the bums, everybody on the bottom rung Have been told from early on that they just don’t matter Chorus When your rights have been put up on the block for auction And they’d sooner shoot than speak to take precaution And non-resistance no longer is the way to go On account of it no longer is an option Chorus
7.
Early one morning, the whole world fast asleep A hobo was layin out dead in the street Like a prayer left unanswered, a call left undailed He was nobody’s darling, but he was somebody’s child Had a thirst keen on whisky, but he always was blunt Never had any money, always said so up front What’ll it be, dad—the barkeep’d ask with a smile “I ain’t nobody’s father—I’m just somebody’s child,” He’d sleep on park-benches when he was down on his luck And he’d ask for spare quarters when he was hard up But he never liked hand-outs and he always desired To be treated decent, like somebody’s child With his hands on a bottle, as if in a pose Near a mountain of garbage, he’d sat down and froze For months he just sat there, preserved, undefiled But even an old man’s still somebody’s child The leaves changed their colors and the weather turned raw And the rain fell in sheets by gravity’s law while the snowflakes fell softly, so delicately piled they covered the body of somebody’s child The people walked by him, and some of them stared Some threw out their pennies, but nobody cared But where is there refuge for the city’s exiled? Show me where is the person that ain’t somebody’s child? Not a family to speak of, he didn’t have no home Midst the crowds of the city, he was all alone The name that the coroner wrote down and filed In the absence of any was “somebody’s child,” Some folks’re lucky—they’re born into it all Some come out fighting with their backs gainst the wall Some grow more civil, other’s just get wild But everyone starts out bein somebody’s child.
8.
Everybody knows that slavery ended with the civil war Equality and freedom were well worth dyin for And people claim that race is not an issue anymore but if you ain’t pale and privileged, it’s hard to ignore And everybody knows the story of how we won our civil rights The blacks received the ballot, the same as the whites We ended segregation and all appeared to be alright But the dawn of a new era just brought on another night Just look at the facts of the case, my friend Its black and its white, time and again “but we’re vanquishing crime,” the politicians contend Meanwhile prison population just grows But crime ain’t the thing being fought Despite what you’ve been told and taught You can’t prove innocence when you’re caught—under the new jim crow Under the New Jim Crow That the US polices all the world I’ve heard it’s leaders claim Incarcerationally speaking the US puts the world to shame Using words of law and order, from seeming racist they’ve abstained But slavery ain’t abolished, it’s just wearing a new name It’d be hard to gauge or guess how far the justice system’s failed When millions of people in this free country have been jailed Beneath the pretense of a war on crime, the cracking down’s entailed A round-up of the ones without the means to pay the bail Just look at the facts of the case my friends, It’s black and it’s white, time and again The pattern by nows a predictable trend Whose numbers just go to show That you can’t blame the blind hand of fate When the criminal is yours to create And is judged less by his deeds than his traits—Under the new jim crow When it’s expected that young poor black males will likelier serve time Than receive their diplomas in their graduation lines And the judges in the courtrooms all claim they’re colorblind While from the schoolyard to the jailyard there’s no black child left behind And once you’ve been to prison, the lifelong label you will wear But you know it will prevent you from ever getting anywhere They’ll say it’s nothing personal as they tell you to prepare To become someone about whom nobody has to care Just look at the facts of the case my friends Its black and its white, time and again The rights that your laws are supposed to defend Were suspended a long time ago But the history’s too painful to trace And the music’s just too sad to face And no one wants to talk about race—under the new jim crow Under the new jim crow When the police shoot the people they ought to protect And any motion for indictment the grand jury must reject On account of police bullets in black bodies ain’t suspect And black kids have to wear “Don’t Shoot Me” signs around their necks Just look at the facts of the case, my friends It’s black and its white, time and again And whether you’re free all seems to depend Upon which way the wind wants to blow With one percent of your people enslaved In this land of the free and the brave Tell me, America, O say Does that star spangled banner yet wave—under the new jim crow Under the new jim crow?
9.
Well I woke up with a bit of a condition So I went in to consult with my physician He told me I would need an operation And that it just couldn’t wait He said he’d need my authorized permission In order to proceed with an excision Gave me papers which I signed with the conviction That soon it would be too late The next week I was starting to feel better That is until I got a letter It was from hospital bill-collector He said I owed him twenty-thousand dollars I called and said, “tell me how can this be? I’m being overcharged exorbitantly— Isn’t my insurance going to front me? I tell you I just can’t pay!” Chorus They said, “You should’ve gone ahead and read the fine print You might’ve understood a little different It might’ve seemed like something that it isn’t Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, might’ve—but you didn’t” So I went down to the bank to take a loan out They said okay just take and fill this form out I asked them to tell me what it all was about They said it’s just S.O.P. They asked me what I needed all that cash for I told them that I had to pay my doctor they told me that my income was a factor and did I have a full-time job I told them at the moment I did not yet my doctor said I’d have to wait a while yet I couldn’t work until my bones were all set The banker-lady said: No Dice. they said I’d need a record of some credit Without which I might as well forget it they said its in the contract and I read it and they pointed at my signature I said “a man is not all he endorses” They said, wait just a minute, hold your horses They said the catch about this all, of course, is That your interest starts today chorus So then I went out seeking some employment Which you will imagine brought me no enjoyment I applied without discretion or discernment For any and everything I got a job working at a factry Worked there two full weeks and then they sacked me Told me they’d do better if they lacked me I said what about my two-weeks pay? They pulled me out a crumpled piece of paper they said I signed it: didn’t I remember? they read me off my driver’s license number Said I’d be getting none from them They said that in my contract there’s a section Where they reserved the right to termination Any day or time or place for any reason And to withhold pay chorus well, I decided this was an injustice a situation legal action must fix so I got myself a lawyer on the off-chance that things could be resolved I wrote up a complaint and a proposal An amount for which I’d be willing to settle They laughed and said that it would go to trial And that I was bound to lose My lawyer showed a fierce determination To stand up against the corporation And would not be swayed by their intimidation No matter how they tried Well after the judge and jury heard it They came up with the following verdict they said they didn’t quite know how to word it except to say that I had lost My lawyer declared it was an outrage But even so it wouldn’t make the front page He said “another worker’s robbed of his wage— It happens every single day.” Then he sincerely gave me condolences And handed me a bill of his expenses I asked him if he’d gone and lost his senses What did he expect me to do? I thought that if we lost I owed him zero He said that’s just in cases of pro bono He said that “in the contract…” I said “oh no— Here we go again,” Chorus Now I don’t aim to keep you people guessin About the moral of this story, or the lesson The only thing I aim to be suggestin Is to keep your eyes open wide The next time that you go to see a lawyer Or a banker or a doctor or employer Or anyone who claims that they’ve got your Best interest at heart Make sure you bring along your readin glasses Make sure you dot the I’s and note the dashes Of everything that your signature passes And make a copy for your files
10.
This is the song for the unsung heroes For the losers and zeroes no history records For the plain and blameless quiet nameless Many who never stray too far from the shore Who work their hardest for no one’s notice Who earn their money but have to steal their rest Who lose their chances at the cheap salvation As they fall far short of ever being second best You daily grinders and watch-spring winders Hopeless reminders of what all you might have been I salute you in all your strivings Remember there are more of you than them This is the song for the ordinary sister Of the beauty contest winner with the recessive traits Whom no one stares at or asks to dinner Or invites out dancing or wants to date Who grows to old age and never marries Who has no children to call her very own But who gives her love out to all who’ll take it And is, wherever she is, right at home This is the song for the unknown soldier Who grew no bolder the nearer war he got Who aimed his rifle for his own survival At his would-be enemy but never took the shot Who died in battle, came home like chattel, Was laid to rest in an unmarked pauper’s grave Was unremembered save as young and foolish And by a few who knew him as less than brave You adventure seekers, timid time-keepers Who watch the bleachers from the middle of the fray As you go headlong into unknown country May God bless and keep you safe upon your way This is the song for the obscure explorer Who winds up poorer than when he started out Who never arrives at his destination Whose explanation the world must do without Who will lose his compass, his only atlas Whose tears of madness will ingredient the sea As the waves that pound him will lift and drown him With his question sounding: will anyone remember me?
11.
You billionaires in your big easy chairs counting your coins and your dough What do you need with all that money? You can’t take it with you, you know You’ve hedged all your bets, you’ve become a success, your kingdom spreads out far and wide but when will your stuff ever bring you enough? When will you be satisfied? When pigs learn to fly, when hell freezes o’er When the rocks in the mountains can sing But just cause they don’t, it don’t mean that they won’t There’s a first time for everything You big-business bosses who cut all your losses Who pay less than the minimum wage Whose labor’s on lease somewheres overseas Cause it’s cheaper and all of the rage What will you say to folks comin your way When outside your door they are packed Screamin for work and callin you jerk Sayin, “When can we have our jobs back?” Chorus Now the healthcare debate in the united states Is as fierce as it is anywhere When the state of your health depends on your wealth That don’t exactly seem fair I need to be cured, but I ain’t insured It’s the most I can do just to beg When will I receive the care that I need Without payin an arm and a leg? Chorus You judges who sit, who condemn and acquit Who hear bout the worst that men do Aloft in your towers with your gowns and your powers Who gets to pass judgment on you? You’ll seal a man’s fate to be killed by the state You’ll kill thinking your doing what’s best But when will a man’s life be too high a price To weigh in the scales against death? Chorus Now the world is at war over oil and ore Over power and territory Over whose God is in charge and whose is not On that point no one can agree Meanwhile bombs descend on women and children When O when will it cease? When will the fight desist for the night When will the world live in peace? Chorus Now perhaps I’m naieve, as green as the leaves That sprout on the trees in the spring Maybe I’m touched to be thinking so much We all know what wishin can bring Perhaps I’m a dope to hope without hope But there’s one thing that I’ve always known If you want things to improve, well you gotta move Cause they ain’t gonna change on their own So get yourself wise and get organized Lift up your voices and sing Cause if you don’t, they probably wont There’s a last time for everything
12.
This morning I woke to the sound of a blast “Who’s there? Who’s there? Who is it?” I asked A man was outside wearing some kind of mask Said he was with Halliburton Oil and Gas He gave me a paper which he asked me to sign What is it? I asked him, he said, “Nevermind,” Said if I just put my name down on yon dotted line Ten thousand dollars could be instantly mine I was still a bit groggy but it sounded alright to me I signed his paper and I went back to sleep And when I awoke I wanted to shriek They drilled a hole on my property 10,000 feet deep Now where my yard used to be there’s an oil field there They tell me I signed it away fair and square But now I can’t drink my water and I can’t breathe my air Please Mr. Gas-man Is it just that you don’t know What you’re doing—or that you don’t care? Well I made several inquiries and asked for a report About this hydraulic fracturing, or fracking for short And when I tried to protest, to make them cease and abort They laughed and just told me they’d see me in court Shortly thereafter I realized my mistake When they turned my pond into a gasoline lake I wish someone had told me bout the risk I would take That the losses would outweigh the money I’d make Now oil companies claim that its cheap, and what’s more we don’t have to rely on foreign oil anymore but as time passes by you can’t fail to ignore that gas is two bucks a gallon, but now fresh-water costs four and where my fields used to be, there’s an oil-field there and where my woods used to be, there’s an oil-field there and you can’t drink the water and you can’t breathe the air please Mr. Gas-man is it just that you don’t know what you’re doing—or that you don’t care? and if you’re inclined to think it ain’t as bad as it sounds you ought to check on the chemicals they’re putting into your ground ethyl-methyls, and sulfates, in lethal amounts plus 500 others I can’t even pronounce Now the trees that once grew here have all been cut down The air, once so clean, now looks dirty and brown the birds all flew off, the fishes all drowned next thing you know, it’ll be me skipping town and tell me, what will you do when your well’s overdrawn? When you’ve lost what you’ve built your tomorrows upon? When you finally realize all along you’ve been wrong? Tell me where will you go when our planet is gone? When, where the earth used to be, there’s an oil-field there? When you finally realize that you haven’t a spare? I’ll ask you in hope, and I’ll plea in despair: Please, Mr. Gas man, Is it just that you don’t know What you’re doing—or that you don’t care? Now I don’t know about you, what your tomorrows are worth If you think it’ll get better before it gets worse But when you damage the planet, everyone hurts And you’re killing the future by destroying the earth Now the gas and oil companies are rolling in wealth But they need your permission to keep spreading their filth So if they ask, in the interest of keeping your health, Say: you can’t frack my land, you can go frack yourself! chorus

credits

released July 31, 2016

Thanks to Nathan Steffen for the album art.

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Sam Steffen Boise, Idaho

Sam Steffen is a Pennsylvania-bred, Boise-based singer-songwriter whose songs are the torch-wood for a new generation of folk music that has learned from the best stuff in the tradition and aims in spite of everything to keep the human spirit alive and kicking. A versatile musician and skilled finger-picker, Sam is at heart a story-teller, and a prolific one. ... more

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