Got the spark, but not the flame

[Intro] (acoustic guitar solo, sounds of a match striking, flame sound) [Verse] Been punchin' clocks since I turned sixteen Calloused hands and a faded scene Forty years of the same routine Building someone else's American dream Watch the sunrise through factory smoke Count my pills with my morning Coke All my friends are underground or broke And I'm still here, but barely spoke [Pre-Chorus] Had plans drawn up in notebook pages Now they're yellow with the ages Time's a thief that never pays wages [Chorus] Got the spark, but not the flame Got the will, but not the way Built this country with these scarred hands But never built my own promised land Got the heart, but not the chance Got the step, but not the dance Still got fire in my chest But the world won't let it catch Got the spark, but not the flame [Interlude] [Verse] See my boy in his college cap Think about the dreams I never unwrapped Supervisor said I'd make it someday That someday's buried with yesterday Drive past houses I helped to frame Lived inside but never claimed Every beam and every nail Tells the story I won't tell [Pre-Chorus] Had plans drawn up in notebook pages Now they're yellow with the ages Time's a thief that never pays wages [Chorus] Got the spark, but not the flame Got the will, but not the way Built this country with these scarred hands But never built my own promised land Got the heart, but not the chance Got the step, but not the dance Still got fire in my chest But the world won't let it catch Got the spark, but not the flame [Interlude] [Bridge] [Strip to acoustic guitar and vocals, then slow build] They say hard work pays off in time (But the clock keeps stealing what's mine) They say keep your nose down to the grind (While dreams get left so far behind) Maybe I was born to build their walls (Maybe I was born to build their walls) Maybe I was meant to take these falls But I still got something left to give I still got something left to give! [Chorus] Got the spark, but not the flame Got the will, but not the way Built this country with these scarred hands But never built my own promised land Got the heart, but not the chance Got the step, but not the dance Still got fire in my chest And I won't let it rest Got the spark... [Interlude] [Outro] [Fade to solo acoustic and harmonica] Got the spark, but not the flame [Final strum, let ring]