Ordinary Man Am G F Am I'm an ordinary man, nothing special nothing grand F G Am I've had to work for everything I own Am G F Am I never asked for a lot, I was happy with what I'd got F G Am Enough to keep my family and my home Am F G C Now they say that times are hard and they've handed me my cards F E They say there's not the work to go around Am G F Am And when the whistle blows, the gates will finally close F G Am Tonight they're going to shut this factory down F G Am F G Am Then they'll tear it d-o-w-n I never missed a day nor went on strike for higher pay For twenty years I served them best I could Now with a handshake and a cheque it seems so easy to forget Loyalty through the bad times and through good The owner says he's sad to see that things have got so bad But the captains of industry won't let him lose He still drives a car and smokes his cigar And still he takes his family on a cruise, he'll never lose Well it seems to me such a cruel irony He's richer now than ever he was before Now my cheque is spent and I can't afford the rent There's one law for the rich, one for the poor Every day I've tried to salvage some of my pride To find some work so's I might pay my way Oh but everywhere I go, the answer's always no There's no work for anyone here today, no work today BREAK - 1st four lines And so condemned I stand, just an ordinary man Like thousands beside me in the queue I watch my darling wife trying to make the best of life And God knows what the kids are going to do Now that we are faced with this human waste A generation cast aside And as long as I live, I never will forgive You've stripped me of my dignity and pride, you've stripped me bare You've stripped me bare, you've stripped me bare.