I like this song rather than add it to one of the many threads here it is...

MAN OF THE EARTH

Every day as I go through the old shanty town,
Where the sheds and allotments all stand,
I see the old man of the land,
With a rake or a spade in his hand,
And he's there in all weather, in sunshine and rain.
I hesitate as I go past,
Is he happy or sad with his task?
Oh, I haven't the time for to ask.

CHORUS: A man of the earth, a man of the soil,
In his lonely allotment he labours and toils.
He's not much to do since he turned sixty-five,
So he's took to his garden to keep him alive.
It's his only joy and his pride.

Forty years in the iron works broke his will,
And his back and shoulders are round.
There was no other work in the town,
So they had him both fettered and bound.
Then all of a sudden, he turned sixty-five,
And the bosses said, „Thank you, my man,"
And they stuck a gold watch in his hand
As behind him the door quickly slammed.

CHORUS

Every Saturday evening, he's down at the club,
And he stands with his mates at the bar,
Slowly sipping a solitary jar.
Oh, a pension won't go very far.
So he sells a few things to his neighbours and friends,
A few of the things that he grows,
But he has to watch how he goes,
Or they'll stop all his pension, he knows.

CHORUS

Every day as I go through the old shanty town
Where the sheds and allotments all stand
I see the old man of the land
With a rake or a spade in his hand,
For I cannot linger. I must be gone,
For I work in the iron works too.
I started there five years ago.
Only forty-five more years to do.

CHORUS

Written by Bernie Parry ^^

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 21-Mar-02.

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