About The Song
 I was looking for a song to enter in the ‘Working Life’ section of the Victor Harbor Songwriting Event in 1998, and knew I had a song with this theme that I had written many years ago while living in London. I spent ages trying to find the exercise book I wrote the song in, but to no avail. Although I could remember snatches of the original song, there was no way I could reconstruct all of it, so in desperation I decided to rewrite it, and Don't Sell Us Pipe Dreams is the result.

Months later I eventually found the songbook in a box in the back room while looking for an old stereo microphone. I’m pleased to say that this version of the song is much better than the original. But I still haven’t found that microphone!

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Lyrics

Don’t Sell Us Pipe Dreams 
© 1997, Jim Lesses. All Rights Reserved. 

I was born in an age, when a man had to work, and work I did. 
I worked hard for a wage, tried to build a good life for my wife and kids. 
You know I took it for granted. I never thought I would be, 
Unemployed and unwanted. Well, poor fool me!

They said, Choose a career, learn a good trade, and you can’t go wrong. 
Buy a house and a car, you've got nothing to fear, it’s yours for a song. 
You know I swallowed that story. I took hook line and all. 
And just like many before me, I went down for a fall.

Sell me a pipe dream. Sell me it all. 
Sell me the future, and watch as I fall. 
I make the payments, and follow the plan, 
But I’m treading water as fast as I can.

For too many years, I have taken the bait, and the lying schemes. 
Now I stand in a line; wait for a cheque, counting broken dreams. 
You know, Truth is a virtue. Yes and Patience is too. 
But I’m tired of waiting. Well, how about you?

Work for a living. Work for the dole. 
Building a future. Digging a hole. 
I’m getting deeper and deeper in debt. 
Searching for answers that I won’t regret.

Well the kids have all grown, they’re out on their own, tryin’ to make or break. 
And I’m hoping they learn, to take what they earn, not make my mistake. 
You know it’s never been easy. Sometimes you have to fight. 
But it’s there for the taking, and it’s yours by right,

Shoot for your own dreams. Aim for them all. 
Look to the future. Maybe you’ll fall, 
Taking control of your own life and fate, 
Facing the challenge without fear and hate.

Don’t Sell Us Pipedreams. Don’t sell us at all. 
Give us a future. We’ll rise to the call. 
Taking control of our own lives and fate, 
Facing the challenge without fear and hate. 
Facing the challenge without fear and hate.