Dirty Old Man Poem by Kim Barney

I'm a dirty old man
But it's not my fault
My children must be fed
And jobs are hard to find
Here in West Virginia

My father worked in the mines
His father worked in the mines
And his father worked in the mines
So I work in the mines
Here in West Virginia

All of them died young
Lung cancer every one
Though not one ever smoked
Just coal dust in the lungs
Here in West Virginia

I'm really not as old as I look
But this life is hard
I'll probably die young as well
I really go through hell
Here in West Virginia

I'd like to work in a office
Sit at a desk
Talk on the phone
Eat my lunch in the break room
Be able to get really clean
Get rid of this coal dust forever
But I'll always be a dirty old man
Here in West Virginia