Their Way

                                                 And now, the end is near,
                                        And so I close my final spreadsheet,
                                        But I won't shed a tear,
                                        Not on a mouse or on a bed sheet.
                                        I've done some work that's dull
                                        But never suffered a bad hair day,
                                        Because I sucked it up and did it their way.

                                        Regrets, I've had my share,
                                        But we all must make those payments
                                        For food and college, house and car, and for the family's raiment.
                                        I might have stumbled on the steps, but I made it up the stairway,
                                        Because I sucked it up and did it their way.

                                        Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,
                                        They gave me stuff I couldn't chew
                                        But every time, through all the doubt,
                                        I fought the urge to spit it out.
                                        You might recall I downed it all and did it their way.

                                        Three hours commuting every day
                                        First on the bus, then wretched subway.
                                        On weekends north or east I often braved a car-choked beltway.
                                        To think I did all that
                                        And never slipped out to a fairway,
                                        No, I just sucked it up and did it their way.

                                        What is a job, what's it to you?
                                        It's simply something you must do
                                        To put the bread upon the table and then retire while you're still able.
                                        Oh, the record shows I dodged the blows and did it their way.

                                        The record shows I slipped the blows and did it their way.

                                        David Martin