21st Century USA

(album: The Unraveling - 2020)

The parking lot beyond Oasis town
Down the street from the Mexican
Restaurant beyond the Auto Zone
And the place that's hawking payday loans
There's a K-Mart and a KFC
Fitting Sooner and an Applebee's
Wells Fargo and a Taco John's
A good time bar to get your bad swerve on

In a town that's named for razor blades
All American but Chinese made
Folks working hard for shrinking pay
21st century USA

Out on 90 we might see you pass
We got coal and methane gas
We got jobs where the work is hard
And stores to max out your credit cards

In a town that ain't nowhere near
Just like every town everywhere
Folks working hard for shrinking pay

They say we have to hang on just a little bit longer
And a savior will come our way
We'll know Him by the neon sign
And the opulence He maintains
If Amazon can deliver salvation
I'll order it up on my phone
With Big Brother a-watching
Why must I always feel so alone

Men working hard for not enough at best
Women working just as hard for less
They get together late at night at bars
And bang each other like crashing cars

Working hard but it don't seem enough
Calloused hearts make even love seem tough
Prescription pills to make the pain hurt less
Until your calloused heart just needs a rest

Look at your children and you hope and pray
They can conjure up a better day
No one remembers how it got that way

21st century USA
21st century USA