On the broadway for the dawn
Waiting for the man to come
And like cattle one by one
He took his pick of the young and strong
Well I had no better plan
When I was a working man

I swung the hammer every day
Choking dust all came my way
And the time crawled by so slow
Till they told me I could go
So tired that I could hardly stand
When I was a working man

Just a part of their machine
Like so many before me
I said farewell and left my home
To try and make it on my own
I was a stranger in that land

When I was a working man

I needed money in my hand
When I was a working man