Verse 1
Got receipts in my pocket, worn thin at the fold.
Proof I paid what I owed before the debt got old.
Kept my word when it hurt, kept my hands on the plow.
Funny how that don’t seem to matter much now.
Worked through the winters, sweated through July.
Never begged for favors, never asked them why.
I figured if I stood where an honest man stands,
Life would meet me halfway with a fair set of hands.
Chorus
Well, I’m mad enough to cuss and too tired to shout.
I’ve done it all right, and it still worked out… wrong.
Every rule I followed was another length of chain.
Every hill I climbed brought another goddamn rain.
If this is the reward for walking the line,
Then somebody’s been lying for a mighty long time.
Verse 2
Watched slick-talking devils buy another brand-new ride.
While I counted every dollar just to get by.
They’ll tell you patience pays if you wait your turn.
Hell, all I ever got was another lesson learned.
There’s a hole in the promise they sold to us young.
You can hear it every time another hard song’s sung.
You give your best years, they take another bite.
Then they blame the dark because you ran out of light.
Bridge
I ain’t looking for pity.
I ain’t asking for gold.
Just thought an honest day’s work
Was worth more than I was told.
But I’m standing here wondering,
With dirt on my boots,
If the truth still matters,
Or it’s just for fools.
Final Chorus
So I’ll lace these boots tomorrow just the same.
Not because I trust this crooked game.
Because quitting would mean they finally won,
And I ain’t giving them that satisfaction.
But if you ask me what I’ve learned after all this time,
It’s that a clear conscience don’t always fill a table.
You can do every damn thing the right way,
And still find out the world’s got no use
For an honest man who’s barely able.
ScarsUnseen88
