[Verse 1]
First bell rings, I’m at the gate
Glove box empty, but the stack ain’t late
Plate steel cold, and the floor stays mean
Burn my name in the shop machine
Weldin’ seams on a busted frame
Cutting threads on a warped-out name
Lathe keeps hummin’, press keeps swingin’
I keep workin’ while the foreman’s singin’
[Pre-Chorus]
He says hurry, but he won’t help
Signs his name and blames somebody else
Time clock chewin’ on my last good day
I can hear that profit roll away
[Chorus]
Bad management, bad management
Took my sweat and spent it
Bad management, bad management
Now the whole shop’s bent
(Oh, bad management)
Bad management, bad management
We do the work, they pretend it
[Verse 2]
Coolant slick on my boots again
Blue arc flash in the oil-stained wind
Micrometer kissed, then it walked loose
One more rework for a coffee break excuse
He bought new chairs for the front row crew
We’re patching cracks with a tired old screw
Parts come in late, parts leave wrong
Then he wonders why the night runs long
[Pre-Chorus]
He says teamwork, but he hides upstairs
Never touched a torch, never pulled back hair
Clock says done, but he wants more
Leaves us standing at the dock door
[Chorus]
Bad management, bad management
Took my sweat and spent it
Bad management, bad management
Now the whole shop’s bent
(Oh, bad management)
Bad management, bad management
We do the work, they pretend it
[Bridge]
Sunday burns in my knuckles deep
I got a pile of bills and a skin-deep sleep
If you want gold, you mine this hand
But they keep digging where they don’t stand
[Final Chorus]
Bad management, bad management
Took my sweat and spent it
Bad management, bad management
Now the whole shop’s bent
(Oh, bad management)
Bad management, bad management
We do the work, they pretend it
Bad management, bad management
One day, this floor remembers it