Bank Robber Blues

There were two inspirations for this song, One was the panic that hit a lot of people in 2008 and 09 when they lost their savings,  jobs, and homes.  The other was the song "Cole Younger," about a highwayman who was a member of the Jesse James gang and robbed banks.  In my song, he is just a guy who goes crazy and tries something stupid. The final quote is from Pete Seeger:  "when you work for the money, you do what the money wants."  

Bank Robber Blues

All them bankers climbing 
on that gravy train,
All them rich men climbing
right on that gravy train,
All them rich man, bankers, climbing 
on that gravy train.
They cost me my job.
They're the ones I'm gonna blame.

I lost my house and family,
lost everything I'd had.
The job that I'd been workin',
The market it went bad.
I'd been working every minute
for the money that I had.
When it ended I was desperate.
That's the day when I went mad.

Robbed a bank in Culver City,
Tried to steal a plane,
Fly the plane into a building,
But they were waiting in the rain.
They knew where I was headed.
Said they knew about the plane. 
All that work I did for nothing
All that effort, all in vain.  

When you workin' for the money
the money treats you like a slave.
When you working just for money
it works you like a slave.
When you workin' for the money,
the money treats you like a slave.
It don't care what you believe in.
Don't mean nothing in your grave.

In this life you learn what's doin'.
You learn what doesn't pay.
Sometimes you learn what's good for you
or you learn a harder way.
In this life you learn what's doin'.
Maybe you learn the ways of "don't."
"But when you're working for the money,
You do what the money wants."

Copyright © 2010, 2014 by David Larstein, all rights reserved

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