Smokestack Children

Down fire escapes, they must escape
To clearer skies and kissing gates
From books of verse and poetry
To singing grass and raging seas
Embroidered on the tapestry of children's faces

The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy
Burdens borne by tiny hands
Pile up like grains of sand
The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy
The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy

Like hungry hawks, their gossip talks
Of innocence on iron catwalks
The child is raised on factory fumes
The sirens sound late afternoon
The smokestack children die too soon
Burst on Earth like toy balloons

The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy
Burdens borne by tiny hands
Pile up like grains of sand
The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy
The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy

The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy
Burdens borne by tiny hands
Pile up like grains of sand
The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy
The jury's verdict finds us guilty
Smokestack children sleep uneasy