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Toolmaker's Blues

by Mark Harrison

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about

single from the album The Road To Liberty

written by Mark Harrison

Mark describes the inspiration for the song:

After a gig, a young American told me a story about his father, a toolmaker in Detroit who lost his job and everything with the demise of the car industry. His story could stand for millions of people over the ages, showing how whole ways of earning a living can suddenly vanish, with devastating effect for those involved, who didn’t see it coming and are powerless to respond. It’s always happened and it will go on happening - where you are in the lottery of life dictates whether it affects you or not.
It’s especially relevant right now ….

lyrics

TOOLMAKER’S BLUES

Go working in a factory
That’s some kind of life
You can build up a structure
Run some children and a wife
Motor City Blues in the morning
That’s all right for me
Till you hear the rumours
About how it’s going to be
We’re all at sea
Floating on a ship of fools
How can you be a toolmaker
When nobody’s buying tools?

They closed down the factory
Put us all out of a job
No problem for the people
Who chose to kill us off
Motor City Blues in the evening
What am I gonna do?
With all those skills that
Nobody wants to use
Because One man’s pile of garbage
Is another man’s trove of jewels
How can you be a toolmaker
When nobody’s buying tools?

When I had a bit of money
I bought a cabin in the hills
Now I’ve moved the family up here
Cos I can’t pay the bills
Motor City Blues comes to haunt me
As we sit here marking time
Cos you can’t rebuild that structure
When you haven’t got a dime
It’s all a deadly game
Somehow I broke the rules
How can you be a toolmaker
When nobody’s buying tools?

We’re all at sea
Floating on a ship of fools
How can you be a toolmaker
When nobody’s buying tools?

credits

released April 2, 2021
Mark Harrison: National guitar, vocals
Charles Benfield: double bass
Ben Welburn: drums

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all rights reserved

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Mark Harrison UK

Mark Harrison’s highly individual songs have been attracting a lot of attention. He takes elements of blues and folk, adding his own twist to produce something totally original. His music, with its memorable tunes and strong and compelling rhythms, has been going down very well with audiences of all kinds and ages. ... more

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