Keep The Wolves Away

Took my first breath where the muddy Brazos
 Spills into the Gulf of Mexico
 Where the skyline's colored by chemical plants
 That put the bread on the table of the workin' man
 Where the workin' man does his best to provide
 Safety and shelter for kids and a wife
 Giving a little of his soul every day
 Makin' overtime to keep the wolves away
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 I was barely 13 when the company men
 Tried to dig my daddy's grave
 It happened on a French-owned tanker ship
 Spillin' poison in the Galveston Bay
 Where the liquid fire filled his lungs and his eyes
 Silenced any mortal cries
 Cold in the grave, but death stinging pain
 He fought like hell to keep the wolves away
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 For the next few years, Dad was sick as a dog
 But he made recovery just to spite the odds
 The settlement came, and we moved out of town
 Where the sky isn't heavy with refinery clouds
 Yeah, he's still alive, he's doing good, he's in his fifties
 But the money's running out, and he's pinching for pennies
 So I'm going for broke with every song I play
 'Cause now it's my turn to keep the wolves away