Well I’m grinding my life out, steady and sure
Nothing more wretched than what I must endure
I’m drenched in the light that shines from the sun
I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you done
Sooner or later you make a mistake, 
I’ll put you in a chain that you never will break
Legs and arms and body and bone
I pay in blood, but not my own.

Night after night, day after day
They strip your useless hopes away
The more I take, the more I give
The more I die, the more I live
I got something in my pocket make your eyeballs swim
I got dogs could tear you limb from limb
I’m circlin’ around the Southern Zone
I pay in blood, but not my own.

Low cards are what I’ve got
But I’ll play this hand whether I like it or not
I’m sworn to uphold the laws of God
You can put me out in front of a firing squad
I’ve been out and around with the rowdy men
Just like you my handsome friend
My head’s so hard, must be made of stone
I pay in blood, but not my own.

Another politician pumpin' out the [bad word] Another ragged beggar blowin' you a kiss
You've got the same eyes that your mother does
If only you could prove who your father was
Someone must've slipped a [bad word] in your wine
You gulped it down and you crossed the line
Man can’t live by bread alone
I pay in blood, but not my own.

How I made it back home, nobody knows
Or how I survived so many blows
I’ve been through [bad word]  what good did it do?
You [bad word]  I’m supposed to respect you?
I’ll give you justice, I’ll fatten your purse
Show me your moral virtue first
Hear me holler and hear me moan
I pay in blood but not my own.

You pet your lover in the [bad word] here, I’ll break your lousy head
Our nation must be saved and freed
You’ve been accused of murder, how do you plead?
This is how I spend my days
I came to bury, not to praise
I’ll drink my fill and sleep alone
I play in blood, but not my own.