The ol' man stands by the lone chute, he sold his calves today He spits in the dust between his boots, as the semi pulls away The slick blue check in his grimy hands shoves down in his coat Won't make the payment on the land, or pay the interst on the note Oh, it's hard, hard times He's a young man with a loving wife, two children and a home Plans to build a better life, put a mortgage on his own He lost his job when the boom went bust, still got bills to pay Now he's pickin' up cans in the roadside dust, she's at the feed-rack cafe Oh, it's hard, hard times ♪ Now the ol' grey banker sits behind his desk, beneath a worried frown He shuffles through the tangled mess of some good folks goin' down He's known some of 'em for 30 years, and some point the finger of blame An' no one sees the banker's tears, the one that shares his name Oh, it's hard, hard times ♪ It's hard, hard times