From the recording Blue Book
This is an old song I started in the late 80s. It was originally about a factory in either North or South Carolina which burned and in which many employees were trapped because the doors were locked. It reminded me of the Triangle Fire. It has since morphed into a song about the "civil war" between authoritarian bosses and workers, and also between those who wish to freely express their thoughts (especially about a situation in which they might be trapped or feel cornered), but who have bosses and supervisors looming over their shoulders dictating their written and spoken expression. Not that that ever happened to me....
Lyrics
who'll cook your dinner now your servants are dead? who'll clean your mess? who will make your bed? well it won't be me though my hands are free you can't count me among your dead you can't get close to heaven walking round on your knees you can't pay me to wait for this hell to freeze so I'm leaving today; there's fire in the trees and smoke over Carolina Grandpa told me: be a union man he told me never give up the fight so I took a stand but what of you? what did you do? you put the torch to the fuse and then you ran you can't get close to heaven walking round on your knees you can't pay me to wait for this hell to freeze so I'm leaving today; there's fire in the trees and smoke over Carolina where did we go all the ones you disappeared who you marched blindfolded across the square you can do your best pol pot, papadoc or pinochet we're not going anywhere you can't get close to heaven walking round on your knees you can't pay me to wait for this hell to freeze so I'm leaving today; there's fire in the trees and smoke over Carolina