Don't Beat Me Down Lyrics

Oh, when he was a man, my father would stand
I never saw him run
There wasn't anyone could make the man bend
The strength of his will was the tool of his trade
And he did his work well

Till the powers that be took a liking to him
And they traded his body for a cold empty shell

Don't beat me down
Don't beat me down
I've got something to say
Don't you stand in my way
And don't beat me down

Oh, when I was a youth, I found the truth
In the eyes of a friend
There wasn't anyone could make the light dim
And we talked and we rambled and we gambled to win
And the learning was good

Till the powers that be to a liking to him
They traded their fortunes for the sight of his blood

When I was a child and my mother smiled
At the cradle she bought
For the little tot she held to her breast
And the song that she sang was an anthem to love
It was all that I heard

Till the powers that be took a liking to me
And they told me that love was a four-letter word

Don't beat me down
Don't beat me down
I've got one life to live
And that's all I can give
So don't beat me down

And now I've got a place, I got a worried face
And a question in mind
Please let me find a reason somehow
Why some reap the harvest while other men die
And the joker runs wild

And if powers that be take a liking to us
Then we all must return to the ways of a child
We all must return to the ways of a child

So don't beat me down
Don't beat me down
I've got something to say
Don't you stand in my way
And don't beat me down

I've got one life to life
And that's all I can give
So don't beat me down
Don't beat me down
Don't beat me down

Gordon Lightfoot - United Artists Collection [2 CD Set]

Oct 1993

1. Rich Man's Spiritual
2. Long River
3. The Way I Feel (Acoustic)
4. For Lovin' Me
5. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
6. Changes
7. Early Mornin' Rain
8. Steel Rail Blues
9. Sixteen Miles (To Seven Lakes)
10. I'm Not Sayin'
11. Pride Of Man
12. Ribbon Of Darkness
13. Oh, Linda
14. Peaceful Waters
15. Walls
16. If You Got It
17. Softly (Digitally Remastered)
18. Crossroads
19. A Minor Ballad
20. Go-Go Round
21. Rosanna
22. Home From The Forest
23. I'll Be Alright
24. Song For A Winter's Night
25. Canadian Railroad Trilogy
26. The Way I Feel (1993 Digital Remaster)
27. Wherefor & Why
28. The Last Time I Saw Her
29. Black Day In July
30. May I
31. Magnificent Outpouring
32. Does Your Mother Know
33. Mountains And Marian
34. Pussywillows, Cat-Tails
35. I Want To Hear It From You
36. Something Very Special
37. Boss Man
38. Did She Mention My Name
39. Long Way Back Home
40. Unsettled Ways
41. Long Thin Dawn
42. Bitter Green
43. The Circle Is Small
44. Marie Christine
45. Cold Hands From New York
46. Affair On 8th Avenue
47. Don't Beat Me Down
48. The Gypsy
49. If I Could