Dan Lyrics - Singles - Bogle Eric

"Dan" 

by Eric Bogle 

I'm pleased to meet you, my name's Dan, 

and I'm an honest working man 

A tarnished badge, they tell me, 

but it's one I wear with pride 

A fair day's work for a fair day's pay, 

I've always lived my life that way 

But now I can't help thinking, 

I've been taken for a ride 

Those hard years on the factory floor, 

toilin' in the ceaseless roar, 

that made me old before my time, 

wrecked my hearing and my health 

And when I total up the cost, 

what I've gained to what I've lost 

I ask myself now Dan, 

what's the total of your wealth? 

Just how much is your life worth? 

I live in a house I'll never own, 

could never get a housing loan 

Bank managers and suchlike, 

don't rate the likes of me 

Feeding three kids on a fitter's wage, 

I've always found it hard to save 

And being an honest working man 

don't count as equity 

All those years of toil and sweat, 

climbing in and out of debt 

I often look back on them 

and ask myself for what? 

A rented house on a grimy street 

An endless fight to make ends meet 

When you add it all together, 

it don't seem like a lot 

But it's all that I've got 

But a man's life can't be judged alone 

by what he has or what he owns 

It's what he loves and cares for 

that gives it quality 

And what gives meaning to my life 

are my three kids and my wife 

We've always stuck together, 

always being a family 

Now my kids are rotting on the dole, 

holding out the beggar's bowl 

I see the anger in their eyes, 

it cuts me to the heart 

and shall I simply stand aside 

while my kids are slowly crucified? 

Watch all I've worked and cared for 

as it slowly falls apart 

Well by Christ, I won't do that 

I'm pleased to meet you, my name's Dan, 

and I'm an honest working man 

A tarnished badge, they tell me, 

but it's one I wear with pride 

A fair day's work for a fair day's pay, 

I've always lived my life that way 

But now I can't help thinking, 

I've been taken for a ride 

And though I ain't got much to spare, 

what I have I'm going to share 

To give my kids and other kids, 

some purpose, pride, and place 

And you leeches, grown fat on my sweat, 

I promise you I won't forget 

When I asked you if you'd share the load, 

you laughed right in my face 

Yes, you laughed right in my face 

I'm pleased to meet you, my name's Dan, 

and I'm an honest working man