Mama I wanna buck-and-wing, oh lord
Mama I wanna buck-and-wing
Well I don't wanna go down
To that home in the ground
Well I can't make my hammer ring
No, not like my daddy did

Well I had a good mom and dad, oh lord
And I had a good mom and dad
Aw they worked every day
And still they took 'em away
Well I say heaven is the cruelest of them all
And I say heaven is the cruelest of them all

And I wanna go to Rockingham, oh lord
Well I wanna go to Rockingham
Where the water is sweet
I wear no shoes on my feet
And my bosses can just go to hell
Tell 'em all I don't give a damn


Well heaven is the cruelest of them all, my friends
Well heaven is the cruelest of them all
Through those pearly locks
Yeah they got 'em breaking rocks
For the houses where the angels lay
I guess a working man can't make it no way
A working man can't make it no way, oh lord
A working man can't make it no way
Well I was following the rules
Just like everloving fools
Aw a working man can't make it no way
MM mm, mm mm mm