Song Lyrics

The wages of an unskilled working man never paid enough
From time to time a nickel on a race keeps him from giving up

A blue collared man in Seattle never lives on white collared street
But there was food on the table for my Washington woman and me

The work slowed down and the one day
The foreman laid me off
That night in a tavern down on my last dime
I met a girl from Arkensal

Her daddy was a banker in Little Rock
She had a mansion on white collared street
The next morning my Washington woman woke up without me

From city to city, and state to state, I get her in shame
My Washington woman had six months left
Before out child would bring her pain

That Arkensal woman hurt me
As we crossed the Arkensal line
But the arms of Seattle
Are the arms that kept huggin' mine

For year I have basked in expensive wines
Taste champagne every day
I gave up all the things I loved
For all these things I hate

I locked up all of her forgiveness, the day I set myself free
And the heart of my Washington woman stopped beating for me

My Washington woman sends me a letter every once in a while
Inside a folded wordless page is a picture of my child
All but words, the room grows cold with a feeling of jealousy
And there's a silence between
My Arkensal woman and me

Frazier, Owens, Sr.