[Verse 1]
Clock in with the dawn
Clock out in the dark
Punching through the weeks
Till it hardens up the heart
We trade our best years
For a little more shine
Then wonder why the home front
Feels empty all the time
[Pre-Chorus]
Mama says, slow down
Son, look around
You can’t eat a gold watch
When the cold comes down
[Chorus]
Chasing a paycheck
Leaving me short
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
Lost in the race
Losing my home
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
I need a life
Not just more proof
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
We used to breathe
Before we ran
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
[Verse 2]
Bills on the table
Like a stack of bad news
Kids learn my schedule
More than they learn my boots
My wife keeps a chair
By the window for me
But I miss half the sunsets
Trying to buy what I need
[Pre-Chorus]
I hear that old porch screen
Creak in my mind
Saying money won’t hold you
When love runs dry
[Chorus]
Chasing a paycheck
Leaving me short
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
Lost in the race
Losing my home
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
I need a life
Not just more proof
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
We used to breathe
Before we ran
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
[Bridge]
Maybe the good life
Was never a store
Maybe it’s supper
And a knock at the door
A hand on my shoulder
A laugh in the yard
The things that stay with you
When the road gets hard
[Chorus]
Chasing a paycheck
Leaving me short
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
Lost in the race
Losing my home
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
I need a life
Not just more proof
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
We used to breathe
Before we ran
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue
[Outro]
We used to breathe
Before we ran
Paycheck blue, paycheck blue