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Roubles and Kopecks

by Sam Steffen

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1.
The Poverty Line 04:56
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Chorus If I had a quarter for every time Somebody told me to make up my mind I would have enough money to be nickled and dimed All the way back to the poverty line They tell me I’m poor cause I don’t like to work But I don’t see any rich folks with their hands in the dirt Show me a job where I won’t get hurt And I’ll show you a man who is eager to work They tell me I’m poor cause I spend all my cash I don’t have any savings, I can’t hoard a stash I get paid twice a month, it goes up in a flash Rent, groceries, insurance—well, you do the math chorus They say time is money and there’s plenty to earn But you gotta have some to begin with, to burn And the only lesson you’re able to learn Is that you can’t get ahead by just waiting your turn There’s a few of you up there who have all the best Your fiercest competitors couldn’t keep you abreast But some of us got nothing, most of us have less It’s take care of yourself—to hell with the rest chorus you say communism like it’s a bad word but capitalism ain’t the best one I’ve heard when you stop and think rationally, it’s kind of absurd you get richer and richer off the poor and conquered cause your politics works like a revolving door there’s a million rules and no one’s keeping score the rich think they’ve earned what they won at the door and what’s worse they believe that I choose to be poor chorus They tell me I’m poor because my investments aint wise I could’ve made millions, only I never tried But the distance from wealthy to here is too wide I’m starting to think maybe somebody lied Sure, I went to college, even got a degree but it didn’t do a whole hell of a lot of good for me education’s a blessing, but it sure isn’t free now I’ll be payin it off til I’m 103 chorus you can go back to work or you can go back to jail but you don’t have the capital to get out on bail and you don’t have the money for any more ale and the ship you were waiting for just pulled up its sail so I’ll hoist myself up and I’ll put on my hat and I’ll just keep starving til I’m all out of fat if my options tween living like a bug or a rat well what in the hell kind of an option is that? chorus
2.
Only In It For the Money 05:23
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I wouldn’t do it as a favor I wouldn’t do it as a good Samaratin I wouldn’t do it as your neighbor I wouldn’t do it as your one and only friend I wouldn’t do it for my family or my country because I wanted or needed to— I’m only in it for the money— I hate to say it, but it’s true See the landlord turnin profit turning out a family from their home if you ask him why he doesn’t stop it he’ll tell you go and leave me alone! They come abused and broken and hungry— I gave em four walls and a roof I’m only in it for the money That’s the sad but awful truth See the noble prosecutor Making speeches for the jury sitting-by Goin on about a shooter Sayin every killer deserves to die When he tells it, he tells it bloody Without so much as one shred of substantial proof But he’s only in it for the money Doesn’t care at all about the truth Here comes your doctor to the rescue he’s been on call and you know he hasn’t slept he’s askin if the nurse has prepped you and what kinds of outcomes you can expect his hands are trembling as he makes ready says, “if you don’t make it, this’ll be goodbye I’m only in it for the money— Is there any better reason why?” See the young entrepreneur He’s invented something no one really needs it’s somehow come to be quite popular it’s catching on like wildfire overseas to make it only costs a penny the lives of those who buy it all get wrecked but he’s only in it for the money never mind the side effects Hear all them politicians squawkin Claiming to be the change this country needs I get fed up with all that talkin And even more fed up with all their doublecrossin low-down deeds They say they love you and this country All they wanna do is keep it free— But they’re only in it for the money it’s plain enough to see— See the preacher in the pulpit Quoting scripture at the bored-faced Sunday mass Saying “Give, if you can spare it! Give all you got and then give that plate a pass—” He says a prayer and when he’s done he Says, We worship God above all else! But ain’t he in it for the money? Ain’t he just like everybody else?
3.
Pay the Man 04:12
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Filled my gastank up with gas—I had to pay the man Cop pulled me over for drivin too fast—I had to pay the man Pulled up straight to an old toll-gate where a fella held out his hand I mistook it, and shook it—and then I had to pay the man I ate something that made me sick—I had to pay the man I needed medical attention quick—I had to pay the man Doctor performed an operation, took out a swollen gland He said I’s lucky, he saved my life—and I had to pay the man Woe is me is nothing free in this godforsaken land? Can’t I even own what’s mine—no ifs buts or ands I work all day for a measly pay, I’m so tired I can hardly stand As soon as I get off the clock I got to pay the man I took my girlfriend out to eat—I had to pay the man Wanted to use the W.C.—I had to pay the man Fella’s in the bathroom givin out towels, sayin they’re to dry my hands Then he looks at me expectantly—I had to pay the man I went to visit mom and dad—I had to pay the man Took a bus, a train, and a taxi-cab—I had to pay the man When I got home I’s so worked up I shut the door and it slammed My father says, “you know the rules,” –and I had to pay the man chorus I wanted to use a utility—I had to pay the man Water, heat, electricity—I had to pay the man the furnace popped and the power stopped and the water it froze and jammed had to call someone to fix em all—and I had to pay the man Well on Sunday I went down to mass—and I had to pay the man arrived just in time for the plate to pass—and I had to pay the man Father said, “You won’t be judged—just give up what you can,” But I swear I couldn’t get out them doors—until after I paid the man chorus I expect one night I’ll go and die—and I’ll have to pay the man Folks’ll gather round and cry—and I’ll have to pay the man Let my epitaph be plain—I don’t want nothing grand Let it read: “I’s born, I lived, and I had to pay the man” Bound or free, alive or dead—I had to pay the man Didn’t matter what no one said—I had to pay the man Well I wanted to know where my money’s goin—I wanted to understand I asked the first person I met—I had to pay the man I went ahead and checked my facts—about having to pay the man Seems every time I pay a tax—I’m payin uncle Sam He spends it so our planes can go drop bombs on a foreign land He says I shouldn’t be concerned, it’s all-American If my money’s gonna fund a war—I ain’t gonna pay the man If it’ll get a kid killed on a foreign shore—I ain’t gonna pay the man When we got bad schools right here at home, poverty to beat the band I’d rather pay a teacher’s salary than to pay that awful man
4.
My Living Wage Is Killin Me 04:16
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I left my home a young man, sights set on the city Aimed to take the first job I could do Got hired on the nightshift, paid to drive a forklift Had to learn to sleep the whole day through I met a sweet old lady who owned a small apartment Said I could live with her, didn’t that sound great? But I didn’t live there cheaply, had to pay bi-weekly And she charged me every hour I was late Neath the risin cost of livin in a world that never pays You can get by for a while takin what comes free But its trine to make a livin on a no good livin wage That’s the only thing that’s killing me I don’t mind the lack of benefits, the late-long working hours Or that they ask me to do overtime each week Ain’t like I got a family, or time enough to start one Or any living friend of which to speak but the thing that really gets me, that frustrates and upsets me is that I ain’t managed to save even a cent cause what don’t go to gas, electric, garbage, fuel, and food just goes to payin off my rent chorus I’ve heard some folks die of drowning, others of poisoning, electrocution some die madly fleeing death’s persistent call some die because they’re stranded, heartbroken and abandoned, others die for no good reason at all people die of falling objects, parachutes that didn’t open some are murdered, some just die of old age but if I live to be 99 I’ll still die of simply trine to live on nothing but my living wage chorus
5.
Gentrification Refugee 08:17
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They’re building up the city—everybody’s making room they’re putting up their signs that say—apartments coming soon! All the people who once lived there, who had to sell their properties are now gentrification refugees the word’s “gentrification”—and you might think it means progress and if you’re lookin to move in here, it probably does, I guess but if you’ve passed your life here, if you’re someone like me you know “gentrification” means “refugee” Developers are coming in—they’re buying all the land They’re building everything brand new, according to their plans They talk about creating a strong community Without the gentrification refugees Now you don’t have to move out, the developers all say But the rent’s about quadrupled, so you’ll go broke if you stay I guess the “neighborhood improvement” don’t apply to me I’m a gentrification refugee My parents lived in this house—since the day that they were wed I always thought I’d be here til they carried me out dead When the moving truck pulls out of here, let the bumper sticker read: Gentrification refugee They bulldozed the old Woolworth’s—built a high-rise parkinglot Tore out the mom and pop place, put in a corporate coffeeshop What will mom and pop do in their old age and bankruptcy? As new gentrification refugees? They turned the old cathedral into a climbing gym they demolished the old high school, put a strip-mall in What they’re going to change next—I won’t be here to see I’m a gentrification refugee Now there’s plenty of things to do here—no, you never will get bored Unless the entertainment’s more than you can afford If you can’t pay for admission, join the caravan for free Of the gentrification refugees Demographic’s changing, it’s a new population Poor blacks is bein swept out—white money’s movin in You can draw a hard line tween the new folks of the city And the gentrification refugees They say don’t be nostalgiac—change it can be good But there’s nothing familiar about my own neighborhood It won’t stay this way for long—that’s a timeless prophesy But I’m a gentrification refugee Where’m I sposed to go now? I haven’t got a home Nowhere I can be at rest, no place to call my own I guess I’ll hit the highway, long with friends and family Join the gentrification refugees They say not to get angry—the times is all that you can blame But I lived here all my life so far, rent’s always been the same Somebody must’ve sold out, for a little do-re-me Joined the gentrification refugees It’s happenin in New York and the San Fransisco Bay In all the major cities all across the USA It’s happening most everywhere I can’t afford to be They’re makin gentrification refugees You can’t just be a victim, tho I know it’s hard to fathom Every place you go now, you’re just adding to the problem They say gentrification’s caused by rambling folks like me Tho I’m gentrification’s refugee
6.
Aint Got No Home In This World Anymore 04:01
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I roamed through this land on a passenger tour From the bay of fransisco to the new jersey shore Just some place to be was all that I’s lookin for But I ain’t got no home in this world anymore I did a job for a guy he never paid me for I don’t hold it against him tho he promised and swore I forgive all my debtors, and I’ll always be poor Cause I ain’t got no home in this world anymore I’s down on my luck, I needed help pretty sore I’s waiting on aces—and I got handed all four I said, “I’m all in,” Dealer said, “Long as you’re sure,” And now I ain’t got no home in this world anymore I’m out on the street, it’s a quarter to four I been sleeping in front of a mattress store A man woke me up said, “You can’t sleep here no more,” But I ain’t got no home in this world anymore I done and I thought things that have been less than pure So I went down to the church and I pushed on the door My hope to replenish and my faith restore O but I ain’t got no home in this world anymore I’ve read terrible things in the family lore about my brother, the killer, and my sister, the whore but what’s anyone done I could forgive them for when I ain’t got no home in this world anymore? The wind it’ll howl, the rain, it’ll pour The blood in your veins fights the cold like a war Out on the highway traffic rushes and roars O but I ain’t got no home in this world anymore
7.
Easy Street 07:18
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I heard there’s a place not too far from this block where you can get anything that you want A new pair of shoes and a suit and a wife and three kids and a house and a job And when you get tired there’s places to sleep, and when you get hungry there’s plenty to eat I’d sure like to go, say, friend do you know, how to get to Easy Street? I heard there’s a man there, he’s a doctor of sorts, he can cure almost any disease Ailments, addictions, afflictions and worse—all you gotta do is say please He won’t charge you nothing, he works pretty cheap; when he gives you his promise, you know it’ll keep I’d sure like to go, say friend do you know, how to get to Easy Street? Easy Street—where the livin is easy Where the door’s always open and you don’t gotta pay Where I’ve been going, all of my lifelong Just waiting for someone—to show me the way The houses out there don’t belong to no one, you don’t gotta lay low or hide If anyone sees you hangin around, they’ll tell you to just come on inside They won’t ask where you been on your runaway streak; if the cops come around, they won’t make a peep I’d sure like to go, say, friend, do you know, how to get to Easy Street? I heard that they’ve got more than enough to go round, they won’t make you stand in no lines You can stand where you like and come as you are, there ain’t no “No Trespassin” signs There’s no trials or contests in which to compete There ain’t any forms that you’ll need to complete I’d sure like to go, say, friend, do you know—how to get to easy street? Chorus I met a young man who knew the place well, he smiled, remembering it I asked, “Can I go?” he shook his head no, said, “you haveta be born into it— “And if you ever get out by making the leap—you’ll never get back in, the climb is too steep— “I’m sorry to say but there’s no other way for to get to easy street.” I met another man claimed he came from that place, said he’s born there in some ancient year I asked him the way and all he could say was, “Friend—you can’t get there from here, “So if you get beaten, just turn your cheek—what you sew in joy in sorrow you’ll reap “I’m sorry to say but there’s no other way for to get to easy street.” Chorus Have you heard of this place you can make up a dream and pursue it until it comes true? Where whatever you’ve done and where ever you’re from cant in anyway be held against you? is there anywhere I can kick up my feet? Or get out of this rain and this godawful heat? I’d sure like to go, say, friend, do you know how to get to easy street?
8.
Police Brutality Blues 03:32
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Another young black man is dead before the age of twenty-one Shot to death by an officer who claimed he thought he had a gun They’re talking bout it on the radio There’s footage on the nightly news Just can’t seem to get away From the police brutality blues The cops are dressed in riot gear they say my neighborhood’s secure I used to think they were protectin me, now they’re just wagin war the officers are trained to kill self-defense is their excuse the whole nation’s coming down with the police brutality blues If a black man kills a cop Someone will see that he will swing If a cop kills a black-skinned kid It doesn’t mean a goddam thing Nevermind that he was unarmed the ruling somehow always proves Courts still haven’t found a cure For the police brutality blues Now we’re a civilized society That we need laws, I can understand That don’t explain why it takes six white cops To write a ticket to one black man It don’t explain why he must get out Or why he’s guilty if he refuse It don’t explain why so many got The police brutality blues A mother lays her child to rest She’s been stricken dumb The unarmed man they shot to death Was a husband, a father, a son There’s a baby in his mother’s arms too young to know the truth That his father had a fatal case of the police brutality blues
9.
The Respect I Deserve 06:36
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I’s down and out—couldn’t find a job Door of opportunity had a broken knob And I don’t mind that I should have to knock But that the line to get there goes down and around the block You just stand there and never move with them unemployment blues Til the police come and you’re kicked to the curb— Well you want to run, and they’ll see that you crawl You try climb and they’ll just help you fall no way to carry what you’re made to haul Gotta live your life with your back up against a wall Like a turtle on its back— In the noose and losing slack— So that you’re never more than one step from the verge— CHORUS tell me—whose hand do I have to shake? How long do I have to wait? Do I gotta hurt somebody? What’ll it take? Fore I can start to expect, and begin to collect—on a little of the respect I deserve? I survived on my own little bit I worked and sang and then I begged for it Staying hungry’s how I kept so fit you can’t get too far when you’re far gone in the pit— it’s designed to keep you down try to surface and you’ll drown til your prison and your freedom’s gotten blurred— Chorus Wish I could payback all that I’ve been lent Save a little more than a half-a-cent Earn enough to leave my tenement But as it is, I can’t afford to pay the rent— And the gas has been shut off And I’ve come down with a cough— and the debt collector’s getting on my nerves— chorus Used to be young but now I’m getting old They’ve gotten rid of all that hasn’t sold After years of trying, I still can’t fit the mold Can’t seem to learn to do just what I’m told I always gotta know what for And even then I still ain’t sure Authority will say: it ain’t like you heard— Chorus times is hard—and they’re a’getting worse all you can pass on is an empty purse seems everybody’s got a grudge to nurse against themselves, each other, or the entire universe its everybody for himself nobody stops to lend you help unless it’s to teach you some unfriendly word Chorus
10.
Aint Done Nothin Yet 03:31
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I get up in the morning when I still can’t see the light Work without a pause or break til you can’t see again at night Your skin turns all to leather as your hands get hurt and sore All the while you’re wonderin: What am I even working for? My house is just a plywood shed; my kids is barely clothed I’m a getting on in years, how long I got, who knows? Money in my pocket it was bought with my blood and sweat And as long as there is work to do we ain’t done nothing yet God made the world in seven days, so the story goes What he’s been doin ever since, there ain’t a soul who knows He made some strange creations but the one that’s most worth seein Is the curious experiment he called the human being Here’s a creature, goes around looking a’low and high For something to surrender to, to make him happy ‘fore he dies The unvarying response to any answer it can get Is: so long as there is work to do, we ain’t done nothing yet The earth it is a dyin off—we’ve wrecked it pretty fair Tore down every rainforest and polluted all the air Melted all the ice-caps and filled up the sea with trash I don’t want to be a downer, but I don’t think it’s a gonna last You may be a composter and recycle all your wares You spent your life campaigning for cleaner, healthier air You think your carbon footprint’s about as small as it can get— But as long as there is work to do, we ain’t done nothing yet Now I come from a country, USA’s the name Sometimes it’s a point of pride, but it’s often one of shame The leaders in my country practice hate and bigotry And I don’t want my representatives representing me Our prisons are exploding and our schools is getting worse Our healthcare system cannot seem to Put the People First As far as the reversal goes—there’s been some progress, I’ll admit, But so long as there is work to do, we ain’t done nothing yet So you’ve marched against the big machine and perhaps you won the day Your cry for justice has been heard, and for once, things went your way It took bout everything you had, but you came out on top but it’ll all disintegrate again the moment that you stop— So I’m gonna keep marchin, I ain’t lookin back Ain’t gonna let my guard down or give out any slack When I’m dead and in my grave that’s when I’m a gonna quit But as long as there is work to do, we ain’t done nothing yet

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released September 14, 2020

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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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