Nanci Griffith - Summer Wages lyrics

Never hit seventeen when you
Play against the dealer
You know that the odds won't ride with you
And never leave your woman alone with
Your friends around to steal her
She'll be gambled and gone like summer wages

And we'll keep rolling on 'til
We get to Vancouver
And the woman that I love, she's living there
It's been six long months and
More since I've seen her
Maybe she's gambled and gone
Like summer wages

In all the beer parlors all
Down along Main Street
The dreams of the seasons get all
Spilled out on the floor
All the big stands of timber
Just waiting for falling
And the hookers standing watchfully
Waiting by the door

So I'll work on the towboats
With my slippery city shoes
Lord! I swore I would never that do again
Through the the gray fog-bound strait's
Where the cedars stand watching
I'll be far off and gone like summer wages

Never hit seventeen when you
Play against the dealer
You know that the odds won't ride with you
And never leave your woman alone with
Your friends around to steal her
She'll be gambled and gone like summer wages

And the years are gambled and
Lost like summer wages