9 to 5

At the burger joint,
It’s closing time–
Escaping from my 9 to 5.
The smokes are cheap,
The burger’s dry—
It’s the only way
A man survives.

9 to 5, 9 to 5,
Always fighting for your life.
It’s what you need to stay alive.
Change careers at 35.
A decade and a half behind,
Before you know it, you’re 49—
Then 52, then 68.
Gets harder and harder working late.
72, then 73,
And life moves faster than the breeze.
Your eyes are dim, your neck is weak—
It’s getting harder just to speak.
82 and still you’re broke.
Your friends are dead, there ain’t much hope.
No time for children or a wife—
Been punching clocks your whole damn life.
Kidney’s failing, teeth are rotting—
Brain is rancid, memory spotty.
At 85, it ain’t much better,
Wheelchair work to pay the creditor.
Government doctors, longer hours,
Wonder if they’ll cut your power?
Medications piling up,
The money never is enough.

9 to 5, 9 to 5,
Work until the day you die.
Sit in a grave that you can’t afford,
And down in hell, you’re also poor.
You won’t get out
’Till you pay every penny.
But there’s no jobs in hell,
So good luck being debt-free.

9 to 5, 9 to 5,
A cause of death in city life.
But often it gets overlooked
And hidden in the history books.
A war to free the colored brave,
Now every color is a slave—
Fighting just to eat today,
Anxiety until the grave.
Sell your time and make a buck,
Think life is great when it really sucks.
They make you think you’re like a king
While dying slowly on your knees.
And before you know it, it’s too late—
The authorities have sealed your fate.
You have not lived life for your brother,
But lived life thinking you’ll have another.
And time’s all spent, you’re a bag of bones,
May God have mercy on your soul.

9 to 5, 9 to 5,
Some are broke, but some survive.
Debbie won the lottery—
An easy million, not tax-free.
Richard built a company,
He rakes six figures quarterly.
Johnny sets up water tanks—
Five hundred-thousand in the bank.
Thomas made a fine invention,
Never fears a life on pension.
Some work hard, and people praise ’em,
Others jailed for tax-evasion.
Poor in money, rich in time,
Dropping dollars, grabbing dimes.
And poor in time, but rich in money,
At the cost of freedom—life’s so funny.
Some are happy being broke,
Some are dying for a smoke—
And half a burger at the joint.
With prices rising, what’s the point?
And gas is rising by the day,
Will you take the cost, will it ever pay?
Money made from politics,
The 4th world war of stones and sticks.
It pays to be a politician,
Less to be an electrician.
Big suits working 9 to 5
Seldom know how to get by.
Standing on an ivory tower—
Egos always craving power.

9 to 5, 9 to 5,
Make a few bucks on the side.
Hide it from those prying eyes,
And build yourself a brand new life.
Jobs don’t make you self-sufficient.
Time to learn to be proficient.
Building, welding, life solutions,
Help your neighbor’s life improve.
And charge a dollar for your work,
You’ll know yourself how much it’s worth.
And when your coffee costs a grand,
By then you’ll live right off the land—
And raise some creatures, grow some food,
There isn’t much more to improve.
May God above give you some rest,
And live your life out to its best.