|
WHEN I TOOK THE JOB, BACK IN THE SPRING OF 1981,
IT WAS A LOT OF HARD WORK BUT ALSO HAD ITS FUN
AND WHEN THE “PRETTY GIRLS” AT THE GARBAGEMAN DID WINK,
I SOON REALIZED, WE’RE BETTER THAN THEY THINK
IN THOSE DAYS WE TOOK EVERYTHING THAT WAS LEFT OUT AT THE
CURB,
AND AT NIGHT WE WERE TOLD TO BE QUIET,
AND THE SLEEPING PUBLIC NOT TO DISTURB,
AND AT THE END OF THE ROUTE, BOY DID I STINK,
BUT I WAS OKAY WITH ME, I’M BETTER THAN THEY THINK
MOST TIMES WE PICKED UP GARBAGE, BUT SOMETIMES WE SWEPT THE
STREETS,
JUST ARMED WITH A BROOM AND A SHOVEL, AND OUR OWN TWO HANDS AND FEET,
THE RAIN GOT YOU WET, THE SUN TURNED YOU PINK,
BUT IT WAS PART OF THE JOB, AND BESIDES WE’RE BETTER THAN THEY THINK
MOST TIMES WE’RE INVISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, AND THEY PAY
US NO MIND
BUT WHEN THE SNOW COMES, A BETTER DEPARTMENT ON EARTH YOU COULDN’T
FIND,
WE WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM, “ONE STRONG CHAIN WITH EVEN STRONGER
LINKS,
‘DAMN’ WE’RE GOOD, EVEN BETTER THAN I THINK”
AND WHEN THE EVENTS OF 9-11 SHOCKED OUR MIGHTY TOWN,
THE DEPARTMENT WAS THERE TO CLEAN-UP, AND HELP OUT ALL AROUND
THE WORST CONDITIONS IMAGINABLE, AND LIKE A WELL OILED MACHINE WITHOUT
A KINK,
EVEN THE MAYOR SAID, “THEY’RE BETTER THEN WE THINK”
PRIDE IS WHAT WE MUST HAVE AND YOU CAN TAKE IT FROM ME,
WE ARE NOT GARBAGEMEN AND GARBAGEWOMEN, BUT RATHER PEOPLE OF DEBRIS,
AND ALTHOUGH THE COPS AND FIREMEN IN THE NEWS PAPERS GET ALL THE INK,
IT DOESN’T MATTER, WE KNOW BETTER, “WE’RE BETTER THAN THEY
THINK”
|
