Only A Paycheque
Lisa doesn’t smile much anymore
She came home last Tuesday
Found the landlord at her door
But he wouldn’t take her rent late
And she had no way to pay
So she moved out Wednesday morning
But she’s got no place to stay
Darren cannot make a living
Down at Manny’s Bar & Grill
Thinks he should’ve gone to college
But he knows he never will
Now he asks me for a handout-
“Sister, can you spare a dime?
I’ve been out here almost three years
I’m about to lose my mind.”
Was it just an accident or misfortune
What forced them to live life this way
I fear I’ll join them when my money’s all gone
Sometimes I’m only a paycheque away
Bill and Linda have three children
But they’re living in a park
Where the youngest cries at shadows
That he sees there after dark
And they can hear train whistles blowing
All throughout the night ’till dawn
But now they don’t know who to turn to
And they’re not sure what went wrong
But sometimes at night if they drift off to sleep
They can live the American Dream
But when they wake up in a nightmare
That just won’t go away
It must take all their strength not to scream
Was it just an accident or misfortune
What forced them to live life this way
I fear I’ll join them when my money’s all gone
Sometimes I’m only a paycheque away
I fear I’ll join them when my money’s all gone
Sometimes I’m only a paycheque away
Matt Larson: acoustic bass
David LaMotte: harmony vocal
George Grant: bodhron and tabla
Barry Carter: congas