As long as you give me my pay
You'll get your moneys worth
I'll be there 8 hours a day
I won't hide and I won't shirk
I got a way with a hammer and a nail
A dovetail and a tongue and groove
Put up a wall in half a day
Guarantee it'll never move

[Chorus]
Shouda li li li dum dum a day
Honest work

I'm gonna build a strong foundation
Marble walls like Grand Central Station
Not gonna feel any more frustration
Do enough work for an entire nation
Gonna get a chisel and an awl and a saw
Carve my name out on your door
A block and tackle and a spirit level
Take your heart of glass and put on a bevel

[Chorus]

Got to build a strong foundation
Strong enough to hold up a nation
Strong enough to put your faith in
The roof won't leak and the floor won't cave in
Gonna get a lathe and a capstan press
Take an old claw hammer to this mess
Gonna knock down the walls of denial
Wear 'em down with a pick and a file
[Chorus]