I began working on 'About the Way We Live' years and years ago, while I was working as a dish washer at a pub. I never recorded it, other than to get the melody saved, which wound up getting lost anyway (along with the original lyrics). But the melody has stayed with me over the years, along with lyrics from one and half verses and the chorus. So on November 13th I sat down and wrote out the new lyrics and began practicing them and piecing them together with an acoustic guitar. The version of the song from the album was recorded on November 15th. It is a straight forward folk protest song, the message of the song is what I needed to stand out, so I kept it simple yet as profound as I could manage
at the time.

07 About the Way We Live - DOWNLOAD MP3

 

About the Way We Live

I make a little money
but I do a lot of work
my feet are always aching
and my back really hurts
times are getting tougher
and its starting to show
my bank account is empty
and so are my hopes
my cupboards are bare
I have nothing to share
and I gotta tell ya man
I'm a little scared

minimum wage, minimum wage

they want me to be a soldier
to go fight in their war
throw around their bullets
as they keep me misinformed
so they can take some oil
and sell their religion
change people's minds
one martyr at a time
they tell me that I'm doing doing God's work
and this right here is democracy at work

minimum wage, minimum wage

I can't afford college
so I get a second hand job
work my way up the ladder
of this 9 to 5
they measure my sweat
man they measure my sweat
crack their whips and tell me
I'm not there yet
I don't think they notice it
when I bust my ass
its all the same to my boss
as long as I don't come in last

minimum wage, minimum wage

tryin' to raise a family
but at this rate it won't work
they say time is money
so my watch must be broke
times are getting tougher
and its starting to show
my bank account is empty
and so are my hopes
my cupboards are bare
I have nothing to share
and I gotta tell ya man,
I'm a little scared

minimum wage, minimum wage

I went down to the polls
but they wouldn't count my vote
high powered lobbyists
had blocked up the road
sent me on a detour
and then I got lost
all I could find
were dirty crooks and my boss
I can't form a union
or I will lose my job
the boss will see that I get gone
it feels like I'm trapped man
it feels like I'm trapped
it feels just like I'm trapped

minimum wage, minimum wage
minimum wage, minimum wage
minimum wage

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From the album by freesoulJAH:

PEACE HEART (2009)

01 Peace Comes (One Day at a Time)

02 With Vigilance

03 Truth, Wisdom and Justice

04 The Light Shines On

05 On Our Love

06 And We Start Asking Questions

07 About the Way We Live

08 With Friends on the Mountain

09 Come On, Ride On

10 Out of War, and INTO Peace

11 Living Beings Evolve

12 Think About Living

13 With Each Other

14 On Music Mountain

15 Drinking From Rivers of Holy Water

'PEACE HEART' - Download the entire album (w/ artwork)

Listen to the PEACE HEART album NOW!