Canary

Can God hear a prayer,
From the middle of the Earth?
For miners taking his last breath
Has it all been worth it,
To take that dirty money and buy the kids some shoes
She took that dirty money, and sent them off to school

Her husband wouldn't live
Long past 41,
Cause that coal dust was eating, eating holes in his lungs,
And I bet she felt guilty
For taking every dime
Cause he'd make her a widow long before her time.

Trapped like a canary in a cage,
Living down by choices that we make.

A long time ago,
She was a bride before 16,
She wore white just for spite,
And he just grit his teeth,
Cause he swore he'd rather die,
Than crawl around some cave,
And that baby in her belly, was dirt upon his grave,

Trapped like a canary in a cage,
Living down by choices that we make.

Sometimes love's a prison,
A life long sacrifice,
And my grandparent's picture,
I see their desperate eyes,
Hanging in that hallway,
Watching me walk by
Watching all their children,
See the same mistakes.