Lyrics
One man working, five days a week A home with chipped paint, but steady heat A wife in the kitchen, kids round the table Not rich, not poor, but life felt stable
Savings grew in a coffee tin You could dream, and maybe win Simple hopes and solid ground Thirty-five bucks bought an ounce
Work meant something Your hands built worth You looked ahead Felt planted on earth
Real money One ounce was one ounce Had weight Had truth Real money Couldn't lie to you
Then came the year, nineteen seventy-one Gold stepped back, and paper won No vote, no sound, no marching feet Just rules rewritten, under the sheet
Limits vanished Numbers soared They called it growth But we earned no more
Real money One ounce was one ounce Had weight Had truth Real money Couldn't lie to you
Banks made money with a blink None to lend, but all to sink They charged us rent on made-up sums Took our homes when the pay didn't come
Two jobs now Still no land Kids come late Can't afford to stand
One ounce today? Five thousand flat What kind of game is rigged like that?
Real money One ounce was one ounce Had weight Had truth Real money Couldn't lie to you
It wasn't laziness It wasn't greed Time was stolen Quiet as a breeze
Real money One ounce was one ounce Had weight Had truth Real money Couldn't lie to you
Gold didn't change Work didn't fade They just swapped The ruler we used to weigh
One ounce Is still One ounce