Grey was the metal and grey was the mill,
When I close my eyes I can see him there still:
Blue was his apron and blue was his collar,
Workin' all week for the family dollar -
For the family dollar, for the family dollar,
Workin' all week for the family dollar.

Now United Tool and Die was just a little "job shop,"
Thirty-two men from the bottom to the top.
In every corner of the shop there was a place for each man,
And next to every machine there was a blueprint stand -
Yes a blueprint stand, just a stand and a man,
Next to every machine there was a blueprint stand.

'Cause a tool and die maker's gotta follow a plan,
And the laboris skilled if you're a journeyman
'Cause you're makin' the tools and you're makin' the dies,
That'll stamp out the parts they will use on the line -
They will use on the line, they'll use you on that line
Stampin' the parts they will use on the line.

Now United Tool and Die it was a union shop,
U.A.W. bottom to the top.
My dad was shop steward back in '63,
He used to talk about Reuther and the old Big Three -
Although they're not as big as they used to be,
But that was all back in 1963.

For twenty-seven years that man he put in his time;
I remember him sayin' that he usually didn't mind.
They had a little set aside and an old house to sell;
They moved to the country and it's just as well -
You know it's just as well, yes it's just as wet I
They moved to the country and it's just as well.

'Cause United closed down back 'round '78,
Seems they fell onto hard times.
Call it foreign competition, call it laggin' behind,
People out of work, they call it "standing in lines" -
Yeah they're standing in lines, you know they're standing in lines,
People out of work standing in long lines still.

Words and Music © 1986 Leo Kretzner