Borrowed Time

The Story Behind the Song

About the exhaustion of a life spent working for other people's benefit -- every hour handed over, none of it ever paid back. It's less about one job and more about the general condition of being needed by everyone and heard by no one. The closing image -- "if I was a train, I'd run clear off the track" -- is the sound of someone close to the edge of what they can carry.

Also Performed By

This Long Broken Road is released in multiple performer editions, each with its own real performance — durations differ by artist, not just persona.

Lyrics

I been runnin’ on empty, workin’ ‘round the clock, Buildin’ up the walls while they’re tearin’ down the rock. Every nail I drive, every stone I lay, Feels like my soul's gettin' chipped away. You ever been overworked and underpaid? Sweat and bled for every dollar you ever made? Carryin' all the weight, day after day? Somebody's got to find a better way. My time gets borrowed and never paid back. Always more work and never no slack. I hear all these needs, who's gonna hear mine? The list is so long, I'm about to go blind. Worked on myself to get where I am, But most of ‘em can’t give a damn. Keep asking for more ‘til I up and give out, And then you'll find out what life’s all about. My time gets borrowed and never paid back. Always more work and never no slack. I hear all these needs, who's gonna hear mine? The list is so long, I'm about to go blind. They tell a young girl, stand up and be strong, Do what's right and steer clear of what's wrong. It's easy to say but far harder to do, When they're twistin' you tight like a rusted old screw. My time gets borrowed and never paid back. Always more work and never no slack. I hear all these needs, who's gonna hear mine? The list is so long, I'm about to go blind. My time gets borrowed and never paid back. Always more work and never no slack. I hear all these needs, who's gonna hear mine? The list is so long, I'm about to go blind. My time gets borrowed and never paid back... Always more work and never no slack... If I was a train, I'd run clear off the track... Is there somebody out there who’ll have my back?