The Autumn Standoff

Down in Detroit, the lines are cold and still The iron horses wait upon the hill The UAW is standin' in the rain Asking Ford and GM to remember their name They built the engines, laid the chassis down Now they watch the profits leave their town And the picket line, it stretches out so long Singin' a tired and familiar song Oh, the autumn wind is blowin' 'cross the land

From the factory floor to the Capitol steps so grand The gears are locked, the engine's lost its steam Just another chapter of the American Dream A story old as money, new as morning light Of who gets the darkness, and who gets the bright Up on the Hill, the clocks are tickin' low Threatenin' to shut down the whole darn show The Speaker's gavel can't quite find a sound As they argue over every patch of ground

They're talkin' numbers, drawin' lines in sand While the park ranger doesn't know where he will stand And the government man who pushes papers through Wonders if his check will see the winter too Oh, the autumn wind is blowin' 'cross the land From the factory floor to the Capitol steps so grand The gears are locked, the engine's lost its steam Just another chapter of the American Dream A story old as money, new as morning light

Of who gets the darkness, and who gets the bright Out on the coast, the writers dropped their pens Said the story's ending don't make no amends They fought for months to get a single page That pays a human being a living wage Now their deal is struck, a glimmer in the gray But the actors' faces haven't seen the day So the silver screen remains a silent friend Will this story ever find a worthy end?

Oh, the autumn wind is blowin' 'cross the land From the factory floor to the Capitol steps so grand The gears are locked, the engine's lost its steam Just another chapter of the American Dream A story old as money, new as morning light Of who gets the darkness, and who gets the bright