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No Use for Him 
No Use for Him (Eric Bogle) 
My father was a big strong man who worked hard all his life He was always in the whisky jar and never out of strife For he called no man his master, and very few his friend A proud and stiff-necked man he was who would neither bow nor bend But they broke him in the end, when they'd no use for him
 For they took away his job when they'd no use for him any more After nearly thirty years they kicked him out the door But they let him keep his railway jacket, overcoat, and cap And a pension of nine bob a week, he was lucky to get that And they nearly broke his heart, when they'd no use for him 
Now, I spent most of my childhood days up in the switching box High in my father's castle, twenty feet above the tracks And crash would go the signals as he flipped them with his hand And the mighty cars of steam and steel would stop at his command And, oh, but it was grand, when they'd a use for him 
When you're fifty-five years old and you're looking for some work Nobody wants to know your face, no-one gives you a start So I watched him growing older and more bitter every day As all his pride and self-respect, they slowly drained away There was nothing I could say -- they had no use for him
 For they took away his job when they'd no use for him any more After nearly thirty years they kicked him out the door But they let him keep his railway jacket, overcoat, and cap And a pension of nine bob a week, he was lucky to get that And they nearly broke his heart, when they'd no use for him And I know they broke his heart, when they'd no use for him 
copyright Eric Bogle Bogle's father was nearly two years out of work after being laid off after nearly 30 years at British Railways. JN JN