I’ve got holes in my old blue jeans,
got no soles on my walkin’ shoes.
All this red they got me seeing,
is called the poor workin' man’s blues.

I got a second job last week,
now my mind is all filled with rage.
Because when I opened up my paycheck,
they'd taken half my minimum wage.

Now something didn’t look quite fair, 
and I snuck a peek at it again.
Guess their mammas didn’t tell them,
that robbing folk is still a sin.

Wonder how I’m supposed to live, 
on what little they didn’t steal.
By the time I pay for healthcare,
I can’t afford another meal.

Can’t live these days without a phone,
that is pretty darn plain to see.
Not to mention gas and water,
trash cans and electricity.

So, by the time I paid those things,
all my money had come and went.
There ain't a penny left over,
and I still have to pay the rent.

Course I couldn’t afford the gas,
even if I could buy a car.
Work must be close to where I live,
because this old man can’t walk too far.

Well, what on earth can a man do,
but to kneel before God and pray.
That his children just might be 
able to live a better way

Yeah, got holes in my old blue jeans,
got no soles on my walkin’ shoes.
All this red they got me seeing,
is called the poor workin' man’s blues.