This is a song about the mining company towns in West Virginia and Kentucky where Paul Lee Kupfer is originally from. The theme applies to any small town that people grow up in and never leave. Trying to make a living in these towns has become increasingly difficult in the modern age.
Acoustic song with singing over a bluegrass style acoustic guitar melody with accompanying guitar and organ. It has a straight singing style that conveys the grit and grayness of this Appalachian area and the people who tough it out to make a living there.
lyrics
American living in a dirty old town.
The sun comes up and the sun goes down.
You get out of school and you head on down
to make your living in a company town.
Times are tough, but the work goes quick.
You stay out of trouble hope you don’t get sick.
Work real hard, try to save a little bit,
maybe find somebody you can share it all with.
Pay’s ok and the hours are long,
but the days go by and the money’s all gone.
Found somebody but you can’t get along,
and you gave up dreaming of a better day.
A man comes up and a man goes down.
The fan keeps burning so the gas comes out.
The road keeps running on the trucking route,
and the well keeps pumping into Spring.
Summer came home ran away with the rain.
The money dried up and the job went away.
You got laid off still bills to pay,
so you go out looking for a better way.
You turn to the liquor and you turn to the pills.
Never get lucky and you think you never will.
All that you want is to get out of town.
Maybe make a little money before the sun goes down.
You walk along the road and you pick up cans.
Want to stay sober, but you know that you can’t.
Wind up sleeping in the county jail,
nobody’s coming for to pay your bail.
Your hair hangs long and your beard gets gray.
You’re bathing in the rivers and you’re sleeping in the hay.
People used to know you, don’t know what to say,
and they tell everybody that the time got away.
American living in a dirty old town.
The sun comes up and the sun goes down.
People keep thinking that they’ll never get out.
Kids grow up and the world goes round.
Kids grow up and the world goes round.
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