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The Respect I Deserve

from Roubles and Kopecks by Sam Steffen

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lyrics

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

credits

from Roubles and Kopecks, 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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