Lyrics

Hands
©1972 Phil Ochs Estate
www.emmasrevolution.com

I've seen the hands of the laborer lifting all the loads.
Granite stuck to their fingers as they built the canals and the roads.
Now they're cleared and the bridges span,
Rivers paused by a power dam
And now, the hand of the laborer is reaching out to you.

Oh, the hands, hands, hands
That work to build the land, land, your land.
The labor of the woman
and the man working with their hands.

I've seen the hands of the miner digging out the coal.
Black dust stuck to their fingers as they lived their lives in a hole.
Now the rock it's still under the ground and the mine is closing down.
And now, the hand of the miner is reaching out to you.

I've seen the hands of the lumberjack, forests swaying in the breeze.
Splinters stuck to their fingers as the lumber was torn from the trees.
Now the wood from your timber tall has build your buildings from wall to wall.
And now, the hand of the lumberjack is reaching out to you.

I've seen the hands of the farmers plowing across the field.
Topsoil stuck to their fingers as the earth was split by the steel.
Growing all that they could grow to fill your tables row after row.
And now, the hand of the farmer is reaching out to you.