Words Without Music

Once I said to you
That I could never not be liberal
That rights and freedom and compassion
Were all that I considered
Now we’ve worked these 13 years
And bought and played and not for free
Now I woke up this November
And voted for goddamn Romney.

Remember when I walked downtown
To buy you that little ring
I had no money had no cash
Only fifteen dollars in pennies
Did this make me a better man
Because I had nothing nice
But what about my manhood now
Can I ask our kids to sacrifice?

I never had so much and felt so little
I’m between the center and the middle
What is it that you meant
Do we give it away and go back to rent
Those were good times
When we were young
We could make do and go without
Now I suit up, punch in, punch out.

The market’s ups and downs
My clients’ smiles and frowns
I push around their assets and create
A shelter to hide their take
In a moment of honesty
I tell my partner we have fake jobs
He recoils, spins and looks at me
And asks me where I get off.

Usually when I’m on the train
Slightly buzzed and numb to the pain
North Broad Street, Brick Church and Orange
Slide by in darkness like shutters drawn
non-existent stops for non-existent lives
To me, at least, the one with blinders on
Moving through this experiment like the constant
Whose outcome is irrelevant.

I never had so much and felt so little
I’m between the center and the middle
What is it that you meant
Do we give it away and go back to rent
Those were good times
When we were young
We could make do and go without
Now I suit up, punch in, punch out.