Dan
by Eric Bogle
I`m pleased to meet you, my name`s Dan,
and I`m an honest working man
A tarnished badge, they tell me,
but it`s one I wear with pride
A fair day`s work for a fair day`s pay,
I`ve always lived my life that way
But now I can`t help thinking,
I`ve been taken for a ride
Those hard years on the factory floor,
toilin` in the ceaseless roar,
that made me old before my time,
wrecked my hearing and my health
And when I total up the cost,
what I`ve gained to what I`ve lost
I ask myself now Dan,
what`s the total of your wealth?
Just how much is your life worth?
I live in a house I`ll never own,
could never get a housing loan
Bank managers and suchlike,
don`t rate the likes of me
Feeding three kids on a fitter`s wage,
I`ve always found it hard to save
And being an honest working man
don`t count as equity
All those years of toil and sweat,
climbing in and out of debt
I often look back on them
and ask myself for what?
A rented house on a grimy street
An endless fight to make ends meet
When you add it all together,
it don`t seem like a lot
But it`s all that I`ve got
But a man`s life can`t be judged alone
by what he has or what he owns
It`s what he loves and cares for
that gives it quality
And what gives meaning to my life
are my three kids and my wife
We`ve always stuck together,
always being a family
Now my kids are rotting on the dole,
holding out the beggar`s bowl
I see the anger in their eyes,
it cuts me to the heart
and shall I simply stand aside
while my kids are slowly crucified?
Watch all I`ve worked and cared for
as it slowly falls apart
Well by Christ, I won`t do that
I`m pleased to meet you, my name`s Dan,
and I`m an honest working man
A tarnished badge, they tell me,
but it`s one I wear with pride
A fair day`s work for a fair day`s pay,
I`ve always lived my life that way
But now I can`t help thinking,
I`ve been taken for a ride
And though I ain`t got much to spare,
what I have I`m going to share
To give my kids and other kids,
some purpose, pride, and place
And you leeches, grown fat on my sweat,
I promise you I won`t forget
When I asked you if you`d share the load,
you laughed right in my face
Yes, you laughed right in my face
I`m pleased to meet you, my name`s Dan,
and I`m an honest working man
