Don't beat me down

When he was a man, my father would stand, I never saw him run,
there wasn't anyone could make the man bend.
And the strength of his will was the tool of his trade, and he did his work well.
Till the powers that be took a liking to him and they traded his body for a cold empty shell.
Don't beat me down, don't beat me down.
I've got something to say, don't you stand in my way and don't beat me down.

When I was a youth, I found the truth in the eyes of a friend,
there wasn't anyone could make the light dim.
And we talked and we rambled and we gambled to win, and the learning was good.
Till the powers that be to a liking to him and they traded their fortunes for the sight of his blood.
When I was a child, my mother smiled at the cradle she bought
for the little tot she held to her breast.
And the song that she sang was an anthem to love, it was all that I heard.
Till the powers that be took a liking to me and they told me that love was a four-letter word.
Don't beat me down, don't beat me down. Don't beat me down, don't beat me down.
I've got one life to live and that's all I can give, so don't beat me down.

Now I've got a place, got a worried face and the question in mind,
please let me find a reason somehow,
why some reap the harvest while other men die and the joker runs wild.
And if powers that be take a liking to us, then we all must return to the ways of a child,
we all must return to the ways of a child.
Don't beat me down, don't beat me down. Don't beat me down, don't beat me down.
I've got something to say, don't you stand in my way and don't beat me down.
I've got one life to live and that's all I can give, so don't beat me down. Don't beat me down.