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I'm Just A Worker

from 12​/​45 by Howard Levy

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lyrics

I’m Just A Worker

I’m just a worker
Working for the War Machine
I do the killing
To keep their pockets lined with green
They call me hero and pin a medal to my chest
For killing faceless enemies
I’ve trained to be the very best
I grew up on the farm raising hogs and baling hay
I prayed to Jesus for salvation
Never thought I’d see this day
But when I enlisted I gave up every right
When I think of all the men I’ve killed
It’s impossible to sleep at night…

So here I am
A khaki killer trained in war
And I can never be again
The happy kid I was before
The men who sign the orders
The ones who pull the strings
Are holed up in their war rooms
Where they do their dirty things
While leaders trump up reasons
To make it right to kill
They greedily line their pockets
From the blood they have us spill

I’m just a worker
Working for the War Machine
I do the killing
To keep their pockets lined with green

Who can I pray to now
That I’ve gone down this road?
Can Jesus or The Buddha
Lighten up my load?
Will a loving, caring woman
Wash the bloodstains from my hands?
Can any living person really help or understand?

I’ve prayed to every deity to wash away my sins
I’ve tried to find a soul to save
Deep underneath my skin
But the callouses of war are thick
My soul is hard to find
I try to drown my hopelessness
So I won’t lose my mind

I’ve seen things that no man should have to see
They come to me at night when I turn off my TV
They haunt my days and dominate my dreams
I see the blood
I hear the moans and screams

My body hurts and my soul is raw and rough
I never knew the aftershocks would be so tough
I was trained to kill
But I can’t kill phantom foes
That live inside my head
Where no one else should go

credits

from 12​/​45, released December 12, 2020

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Howard Levy Chicago, Illinois

Howard Levy is an acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, recording artist, bandleader, teacher, and producer.

Equally at home in Jazz, Classical, Rock, Folk, Latin, and World Music, the two- time Grammy Award Winner is a favorite with audiences worldwide.

Howard has been touring as a solo artist and with The Flecktones, Trio Globo, & Chris Siebold. ... more

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