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Killing Floor
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1
Joe spoke no english but he had a dream
2
And he saved up most of his pay
3
To bring his wife and six kids from Lebanon
4
And settle down here to stay
5
You could feel the prison of his loneliness
6
Cause he wouldn't see them for years
7
He kept brandy behind the compressed air tanks
8
And he gulped it when the coast was clear
9
Nick the Greek collected tropical fish
10
But he had to be a character too
11
So he smuggled in Pirhana just to break the law
12
And he fed them on kangaroo
13
And Bob's pride was his handlebar moustache
14
And he said he still combed out sand
15
Pushed a tank through the Sahara desert
16
So they made him the leading hand
17
The summer night shifts were long and cool
18
And Charlie chain smoked cigars
19
Young David sweated in his speckle paint mask
20
As he gazed out at the stars
21
Crazy Charlie was a Yugoslav
22
His old straight eight Chevy could move
23
His ambition was to live on a hippie commune
24
When Dave told him about free love
25
Fred had been a farmer and a heavyweight champ
26
He had hands like a stump jump plough
27
Move the earth with a thrust of his arm
28
He was loading on the paint line now
29
And the boys made a noise every Friday night
30
At the bar of the Hilton Hotel
31
Downing pints and chewing the fat
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Till the ten o'clock closing bell
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It was only rumour until the foreman came
34
And hiding his shame with a cough
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He said "They're cutting back down to one shift now
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They're gonna have to lay you off"
37
Joe held his gaze and gulped at brandy
38
Then spat it out at his feet
39
Bob stood bolt still looking thunderstruck
40
Nick swore for an hour in Greek...
41
But their anger was spent in a rush of fire
42
And then smouldered out of mind
43
When they shook hands on that last grey day
44
Each was in his way resigned
45
A few days later I saw old Joe
46
And he looked like he'd aged ten years
47
Drunk on the tiles at the State Hotel
48
And he couldn't hold back the tears
49
Fred had talked of his grueling heavyweight bouts
50
I remembered what he'd said
51
There's no giving up on that killing floor
52
If you don't fight you're dead
53
If you work with your hands for your livelihood
54
Some day you might have to choose
55
When the class war rages on the factory floor
56
If you don't fight you lose
57
If you don't fight you lose...
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