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Automation Song

      A              F#m        E             A
Oh, I laid down your railroads, every mile of track,
                       F#m         E             A     A7
With the muscles on my arm and the sweat upon my back,
    D                  A             D             A
And now the trains are rolling, they roll to every shore;
    D               A                     B7               E
You tell me that my job is through, there ain't no work no more.


         A              F#m       E              A
Though I laid down your highways, all across the land,
                        F#m           E           A      A7
With the ringing of the steel and the power of my hands,
D           A                    D              A
And now the roads are there like ribbons in the sky;
    D               A                  B7             E
You tell me that my job is through but still I wonder why.


        F#m                    C#m
For the wages were low and the hours were long
        F#m                   E
And the labor was all I could bear.
           F#m                     C#m
Now you've got new machines for to take my place,
        Bm                       E
And you tell me it's not mine to share.


         A              F#m           E              A
Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields
                    F#m           E            A       A7
With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels.
    D                A           D             A
And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all aglow,
    D              A                E             A   E
I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go?


        F#m                    C#m
For the wages were low and the hours were long
        F#m                   E
And the labor was all I could bear.
           F#m                     C#m
Now you've got new machines for to take my place,
        Bm                       E
And you tell me it's not mine to share.


         A              F#m           E              A
Though I laid down your factories and laid down your fields
                    F#m           E            A       A7
With my feet on the ground and my back to your wheels.
    D                A           D             A
And now the smoke is rising, the steel is all aglow,
    D              A                E             F#m
I'm walking down a jobless road and where am I to go?
         Bm       E    A
Tell me, where am I to go?

(Words and music by Phil Ochs, 1963)

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