Ordinary People (2007) Songtext

von Neil Young

Two out-of-work models and a fashion slave
Tried to dance away the Michelob night.
The bartender poured herself another drink,
While two drunks were watching the fight.
The champ went down, then he got up again,
Then he went out like a light,
Fighting for the people.
But his timing wasn't right,
The high rolling people.
Taking limos in the neon light,
Las Vegas people.
They came to see a Las Vegas fight,
Fighting for the people.
Yeah, yeah

There's a man in the window with a big cigar,
Says everything's for sale.
Yeah, the house and the boat and the railroad car, the owner's gotta go to jail.
He acquired these things from a life of crime,
Now he's selling them to make bail.
He was ripping off the people.
Selling guns to the underground,
Livin' off the people.
Skimming the top when there was no one around, tryin' to help the people.
Lose their ass for a piece of ground,
Patch of ground people.
Yeah, yeah

He was dealing antiques in a hardware store
But he sure had a lot to hide.
He had a back room full of the guns of war
And a ton of ammunition besides.
Yeah, he walked with a cane,
Kept a bolt on the door
With five pit bulls inside,
Just a warning to the people.
In case they try to break in at night,
Protection for the people.
Selling safety in the darkest night,
Trying to help the people.
Get the drugs to the street all right,
Trying to help the people.
Yeah, yeah

Well, it's hard to say where a man goes wrong, might be here and it might be there.
What starts out weak might get too strong,
If you can't tell foul from fair.
But it's hard to judge from an angry throng
Of hands stretched up in the air,
Vigilante people.
Taking the law into their own hands,
Conscientious people. (Hey)
Crackin' down on the drug lord and his bands, government people. (Hey)
Confiscating all the dealer's land,
The patch of ground people.
Yeah, yeah

A new Rolls Royce and a company car
They were racing down the street.
Each one was tryin' to make it to the gate
Before employees manned the fleet.
The trucks full of products for the modern home, were set to roll out into the streets
Of ordinary people.
Trying to make their way to work,
The downtown people.
Some are saints, and some are jerks, (that's me) everyday people.
Stopping for a drink on their way to work, alcoholic people.
Yeah, yeah,
Taking it one day at a time!

Down on the assembly line,
They keep puttin' the same things out.
The people today, they just ain't buying,
Nobody can figure it out.
They try like hell to build a quality in,
They're working hard without a doubt,
Ordinary people.
But the dollar's what it's all about,
Lee Iacocca people.
But the customers are walking out,
Nose to the stone people.
Yeah, they look but they just don't buy,
The patch o' ground people.
Yeah, hey, hey.

In a dusty town the clock struck high noon,
Two men stood face to face.
One wore black and one wore white,
But of fear there wasn't a trace.
A hundred and eighty years later two hot rods dragged
Through the very same place,
A half a million people
They moved in to pick up the pace,
A factory full of people.
Making parts to go to outer space,
A trainload of people.
They were leaving for another place,
Out-of-town people.
Yeah, yeah.

Down at the factory,
They're puttin' new windows in.
The vandals made a mess of things
And the homeless just walked right in.
Well, they worked here once
And they live here now,
But they might work here again,
The ordinary people.
They're living in a dream,
Hard working people.
They just don't know what it means
To give up people.
They're just like they used to be,
Patch of ground people.
Yeah

Out on the railroad track,
They're cleaning ol' number nine.
They're scrubbing the boiler down,
She really is looking fine.
(a beauty, that number nine)
Times will be different soon,
They're gonna put her back on line,
Ordinary people.
They're gonna bring the good things back,
Hard-working people.
They put the business back on track,
Everyday people.
They got faith in the regular guy,
Patch of ground people.
Yeah, yeah.