[Verse 1]
There's an evening haze it's settling over the town
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buying power of the proletariat's gone down
Money's getting shallow and weak
The place I love best is a sweet memory
It's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are reality
If we want to compete abroad

[Verse 2]
My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearеr to me than myself
As you yourself can see
Wеll I'm listening to the steel rails hum
And I've got both eyes tight shut
Just sitting here tryin' to keep the hunger from
Creeping its way into my gut

[Chorus]
Meet me at the bottom, don't you lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
And sing a little bit of these Workingman Blues
[Verse 3]
Well, I'm sailing on back, ready for the long haul
Been tossed by the winds and the seas
I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall
I'll sell them to their enemies
I'm tryin' to feed my soul with thought
I'm gonna sleep off the rest of the day
Sometimes no one wants what you've got
Sometimes you can't give it away

[Verse 4]
This place is ringed with countless foes
Some of them may be deaf and dumb
No man, and no woman knows
The hour that sorrow will come
In the dark I hear the night birds call
I feal a lover's breath
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall
Sleep is like a temporary death

[Chorus]
Well meet me at the bottom, don't you lag behind
And bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these Workingman Blues
[Verse 5]
Well, they burned my barn and they stole my horse
And I can't save a dime
I've got to be careful, I don't want to be forced
Into a life of continual crime
I can see for myself that the sun is sinking
And how I wish you were here to see
Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking
That you have forgotten me?

[Verse 6]
They worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret
They waste your nights and days
Them I will forget
But you I'll remember always
Because old memories of you to me have clung
You've wounded me with your words
You better straighten out your tongue
It's all true, everything you've heard

[Chorus]
Meet me at the bottom, don't you lag behind
And bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these Workingman Blues
[Verse 7]
In you, my friend, I find no blame
You wanna look in my eyes, please do
No one can ever claim
That I took up arms against you
All across these peaceful sacred fields
They will lay you low
They'll break your horns and slash you with steel
I say it so it must be so

[Verse 8]
But now I'm down on my luck and I'm black and blue
But I'm gonna give you another chance
I'm all alone, and I'm expecting you
To lead me off in a cheerful dance
I got a brand new suit and a brand new wife
I can live on rice and beans
Some people never worked a day in their lives
They don't know what work even means

[Chorus]
Well, meet me at the bottom, don't you lag behind
And bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these Workingman Blues