Pink Slip Blues

A gritty, weary, and mournful slow Country-Blues, This is a Rust Belt blues song, full of grief and shock, It is led by a weeping, soulful slide guitar and a sparse, weeping harmonica, The lead vocal is a gravelly, heartbroken male baritone, The tempo is a slow, 12/8 blues shuffle

[Verse 1] Walked in Monday, coffee black Twenty years, I never lacked For a place to go, a thing to do Then the boss-man called the crew. Stood us on the loading dock Felt the turning of a lock He wouldn't meet us in the eye He just coughed and straightened his tie. [Chorus] He said "We're restructuring, To stay competitive." He said "We value your service, This is just the way it is." He talked about the market price And "streamlining" his advice But all I got was a slip of pink And a cold, dead silence left to think. [Verse 2] The whistle screamed a final wail Like a ghost caught in the steel. I packed my box, I walked the line That my daddy's daddy helped design. Who am I if I don't weld? If this ain't the hand I'm dealt? The big machine went cold and dead That "suckin' sound" was in my head. [Chorus] He said "We're restructuring, To stay competitive." He said "We value your service, This is just the way it is." He talked about the market price And "streamlining" his advice But all I got was a slip of pink And a cold, dead silence left to think. [Bridge] And what about that promise made? The "high-tech job," the "retrained" grade? Was that just static on the screen? The hollowest promise I ever seen. Just a lie to keep us calm While they disarmed the f---ing bomb. [Instrumental Solo] [Chorus] He said "We're restructuring, To stay competitive." He said "We value your service, This is just the way it is." He talked about the market price And "streamlining" his advice But all I got was a slip of pink And a cold, dead silence left to think. [Outro] Yeah, a cold, dead silence... Got the pink slip blues... © 2026 The Shady River Bard. All rights reserved.

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