Afternoon Matinee: Protest - Automation Song

Performed by Phil Ochs

Oh, I laid down your railroads, every mile of track

With the muscles on my arm and the sweat upon my back

And now the trains are rolling, they roll to every shore

You tell me that my job is through, there ain't no work no more

Though I laid down your highways all across the land

With the ringing of the steel and the power of my hands

And now the roads are there like ribbons in the sky

You tell me that my job is through but still I wonder why

For the wages were low and the hours were long

And the labor was all I could bear

Now you've got new machines for to take my place

And you tell me it's not mine to share

Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields

With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels

And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all a-glow

I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go

For the wages were low and the hours were long

And the labor was all I could bear

Now you've got new machines for to take my place

And you tell me it's not mine to share

Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields

With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels

And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all a-glow

I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go

Tell me, where am I to go

~ from Lyric Wiki ~