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(intro) F G Am F G C F G F G
Am G F Am
I'm an ordinary man, nothing special, nothing grand,
F G Am
I've had to work for everything I own.
Am G F Am
I never asked for a lot, I was happy with what I'd got,
F G Am
enough to keep my family and my home.
F G C Am
Now they say that times are hard and they've handed me my cards,
F E
they say there's not the work to go around.
Am G F Am
And when the whistle blows, the gates will finally close,
F G Am
tonight they're going to shut this factory down,
F G Am F G Am
then they'll tear it do??..wn.
Am G F Am
I never missed a day nor went on strike for better pay,
F G Am
for twenty years I served them best I could,
Am G F Am
now with a handshake and a cheque it seems so easy to forget,
F G Am
loyalty through the bad times and through good.
F G C Am
The owner says he's sad to see that things have got so bad,
F E
but the captains of industry won't let him lose.
Am G F Am
He still drives a car and smokes his cigar,
F G Am
and still he takes his family on a cruise,
F G Am F G Am
he'll never lo??....se.
Am G F Am
Now it seems to me such a cruel irony,
F G Am
he's richer now than ever he was before.
Am G F Am
Now my cheque is spent and I can't afford the rent,
F G Am
there's one law for the rich, one for the poor.
F G C Am
Every day I've tried to salvage some of my pride,
F E
to find some work so's I might pay my way.
Am G F Am
Oh, but everywhere I go, the answer's always ?No !?
F G Am
there's no work for anyone here today,
F G Am F G F G
no work tod??..?ay.?
Am G F Am
And so condemned I stand, just an ordinary man,
F G Am
like thousands beside me in the queue.
Am G F Am
I watch my darling wife trying to make the best of life,
F G Am
and God knows what the kids are going to do.
F G C Am
Now that we are faced with this human waste,
F E
a generation cast aside.
Am G F Am
For as long as I live, I never will forgive,
F G Am
you've stripped me of my dignity and pride.
F G Am F G Am (2x)
You've stripped me ba??...re. (3x)
( F G C F E Am G F Am F G Am )
Written by Peter Hames