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NOTES: This song first appeared on a three song CD-R called, Celebrating May Day: The Activists Speak released May, 2002, by the South Australian May Day Committee.

American Dream is available online through FolkTrax (in Australia);
or through CDBABY (in the USA).

Don’t Sell Us Pipe Dreams
 © 1997, Jim Lesses. All Rights Reserved.
Click to Hear the Song | Buy The Song

C                                                                    G7
I was born in an age, when a man had to work, and work I did.
                                                                             C
I worked hard for a wage, tried to build a good life for my wife and kids.
F                             G7        F                               G7
You know I took it for granted. I never thought I would be,
F                         G7                            C    / G7
Unemployed and unwanted. Well, poor fool me!

C                                                                           G7
They said, Choose a career, learn a good trade, and you can’t go wrong.
                                                                         C
Buy a house and a car, you've got nothing to fear, it’s yours for a song.
F                                    G7     F                          G7
You know I swallowed that story. I took hook line and all.
F                           G7                                 C
And just like many before me, I went down for a fall.

F             G7              C             Am
Sell me a pipe dream. Sell me it all.
F                G7             C              Am
Sell me the future, and watch as I fall.
F                                      G7           Am
I make the payments, and follow the plan,
      F                                         G7    
But I’m treading water as fast as I can.

C                                                                    G7
For too many years, I have taken the bait, and the lying schemes.
Now I stand in a line; wait for a cheque, counting broken dreams.
You know, Truth is a virtue. Yes’n Patience is too.
But I’m tired of waiting. Well, how about you?

Work for a living. Work for the dole.
Building a future. Digging a hole.
I’m getting deeper and deeper in debt.
Searching for answers that I won’t regret.

Well the kids have all grown, they’re out on their own, tryin’ to make or break.
And I’m hoping they learn, to take what they earn, not make my mistake.
You know it’s never been easy. Sometimes you have to fight.
But it’s there for the taking, and it’s yours by right,

Shoot for your own dreams. Aim for them all.
Look to the future. Maybe you’ll fall,
Taking control of your own life and fate,
Facing the challenge without fear and hate.

And Don’t Sell Us Pipedreams. Don’t sell us at all.
Give us a future. We’ll rise to the call.
Taking control of our own lives and fate,
F                                    G7
Facing the challenge without fear and hate.
F                                    G7              C       / Am
Facing the challenge without fear and hate.

[Am] / C / G7 / C / F / C

 

JIM LESSES: American Dream

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