James McMurtry - We cant make it here

There's a ^DVietnam Vet with a ^Cadd9cardboard sign ^Cadd9/Bsitting there by the ^Dleft turn line ^DFlag on the wheelchair ^Cadd9flapping in the breeze, ^Cadd9/Bone leg missing and ^Dboth hands free ^DNo one's paying much ^Cadd9mind to him, the ^Cadd9/BV.A. budget's just ^Dstretched so thin And there's ^Dmore comin' home from the ^Cadd9Mideast war, we ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore

And that ^Dbig ol' building was the ^Cadd9textile mill, it ^Cadd9/Bfed our kids and it ^Dpaid our bills But they ^Dturned us out and they ^Cadd9closed the doors, we ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore

See those ^Dpallets piled up on the ^Cadd9loading dock, they're ^Cadd9/Bjust gonna set there ^Dtill they rot 'Cause there's ^Dnothing to ship, ^Cadd9nothing to pack, just ^Cadd9/Bbusted concrete and ^Drusted tracks ^DEmpty storefronts a^Cadd9round the square, there's a ^Cadd9/Bneedle in the gutter and ^Dglass everywhere You don't ^Dcome down here 'less you're ^Cadd9looking to score, we ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here an^Dymore

The ^Dbar's still open but ^Cadd9man it's slow, the ^Cadd9/Btip jar's light and the ^Dregister's low The ^Dbartender don't have ^Cadd9much to say, the ^Cadd9/Bregular crowd gets ^Dthinner each day Some have ^Dmaxed out all their ^Cadd9credit cards, some are ^Cadd9/Bworking two jobs and ^Dliving in cars ^DMinimum wage don't ^Cadd9pay for a roof, don't ^Cadd9/Bpay for a drink, if you ^Dgotta have proof Just ^Dtry it yourself Mr. ^Cadd9CEO See how ^Cadd9/Bfar 5.15 an ^Dhour will go Take a ^Dpart time job at ^Cadd9one of your stores I bet you ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore

And there's a ^Dhigh school girl with a ^Cadd9bourgeois dream, ^Cadd9/Bjust like the pictures in the ^Dmagazine She ^Dfound on the floor of the ^Cadd9Laundromat, a ^Cadd9/Bwoman with kids can for^Dget all that If she ^Dcomes up pregnant ^Cadd9what'll she do, for^Cadd9/Bget the career, for^Dget about school Can she ^Dlive on faith? ^Cadd9live on hope, ^Cadd9/Bhigh on Jesus or ^Dhooked on dope When it's ^Dway too late to ^Cadd9just say no, you ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore

Now I'm ^Dstocking shirts in the ^Cadd9Wal-Mart store ^Cadd9/Bjust like the ones we ^Dmade before 'Cept ^Dthis one came from ^Cadd9Singapore, I guess we ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore

Should I ^Dhate a people for the ^Cadd9shade of their skin or the ^Cadd9/Bshape of their eyes or the ^Dshape I'm in Should I ^Dhate 'em for ^Cadd9having our jobs today, no I ^Cadd9/Bhate the men sent the ^Djobs away I can ^Dsee them all now, they ^Cadd9haunt my dreams, all ^Cadd9/Blily white and ^Dsqueaky clean They've ^Dnever known want, they'll ^Cadd9never know need, their ^Cadd9/Bs**t don't stink and their ^Dkids won't bleed Their ^Dkids won't bleed in the ^Cadd9damn little war and we ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore

Will ^Dwork for food, will ^Cadd9die for oil, will ^Cadd9/Bkill for power and to ^Dus the spoils The ^Dbillionaires get to ^Cadd9pay less tax, the ^Cadd9/Bworking poor get to ^Dfall through the cracks ^DLet 'em eat jellybeans, ^Cadd9let 'em eat cake, ^Cadd9/Blet 'em eat s**t, what^Dever it takes They can ^Djoin the Air Force, or ^Cadd9join the Corps if ^Cadd9/Bthey can't make it here any^Dmore

And ^Dthat's how it is, ^Cadd9that's what we got if the ^Cadd9/Bpresident wants to ad^Dmit it or not You can ^Dread it in the paper, ^Cadd9read it on the wall, ^Cadd9/Bhear it on the wind, if you're ^Dlistening at all Get ^Dout of that limo, ^Cadd9look us in the eye, ^Cadd9/Bcall us on the cell phone, ^Dtell us all why In ^DDayton, Ohio or ^Cadd9Portland, Maine or a ^Cadd9/Bcotton gin out on the ^Dgreat high plains That's ^Ddone closed down a^Cadd9long with the school and the ^Cadd9/Bhospital and the ^Dswimming pool ^DDust devils dance in the ^Cadd9noonday heat, there's ^Cadd9/Brats in the alley and ^Dtrash in the street ^DGang graffiti on a ^Cadd9boxcar door, we ^Cadd9/Bcan't make it here any^Dmore