They Never Taught Us What Was Real: Iron and Coke, Chromium Steel

Our grandparents had work, more work than they could handle, and then the work stuttered and was gone. We knew that every child didn't have a very good shot to get as good as their old man got, and we knew we had to leave. Some of us are still waiting for the promises our teachers gave, the rewards for working hard, the promised lands we'd reach if we behaved. And here we are today-aaaay-aaa-aaa-aaaa-aaay-a-ayyy-aaay!

Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line.

Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers at the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown.

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
aaaaaaah aaahhhhh ooooooooh ooooooh ohhhhhhh.

Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved.

So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke,
Chromium steel.

And we're waiting here in Allentown.
But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaah.

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got.
When something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our faaaaaaaace, oh oh oh.

Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down.
But I won't be getting up today-aaaa-aaaaaaa-aaaay-yyyyyyy
aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaah.

And it's getting very hard to stay-aaaa-aaaa-aaay.

And we're living here in Allentown!