Copper
Harry Chapin

If you were looking for a way to make me mad it was a sure fire way you found
Acting like a half wit fool, laying your money around
Well I came back here to tell you Lou, 'bout what you almost did
Don't you ever put the cash on the counter Lou, when I'm with my kid
Yeah the kid's thirteen he's growing Lou, two years and he'll be bigger than me
Still he thinks I'm strong as a blacksmith and straighter than the tall oak tree
I raised him alone ten years now since his Mama ran away
And you ain't gonna blow his image of me for the stunt like you pulled today

Chorus:
They took the copper right out of the penny Lou
They got the pig locked up in the pen
But you're in big trouble with me, yes you
If you ever do that again
Ten bucks a week protection don't mean I can't knock you down
You've got to treat me like a living saint Lou, whenever my son's around

Yeah the kid wants to be a policeman just like me
You know he'll be a good one the way I started out to be
And he just might end up police chief, now wouldn't that be something to see?
'Cause then the kid would kick right off of the force all the two-bit grifters like me

Chorus

I guess it was when my old lady left me and she took off with a salesman guy
I started to see things so differently, cut your own slice out of the pie
Yeah I grew up and it came clear to me all the smart cops on the make
You get a silver badge not an old tin star when you're on the take
It's pimps and whores, punk gang wars, robberies and homicides
When you walk the beat with the creeps on the street, well there ain't no way to hide
I spent half my life without no wife ridin' herd on the scum of the earth
I learned the tricks of the trade from the gutter parade and then I prayed for all I'm worth
Don't you know I appreciate the money Lou, 'cause it all goes into the bank
And when I send my kid to college someday I'll have guys like you to thank
Yeah ten bucks a week on your grocery store means you don't have to worry 'bout crime But hold your money when the kid's with me you can pay me double next time

Chorus

Ten bucks a week protection don't mean I can't knock you down
You've got to treat me like a living saint Lou, whenever my son's around


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Lyrics by Harry Chapin

  30,000 Pounds of Bananas   A Better Place To Be   A Lot of Lonely People Tonight   A Quiet Little Love Affair   And the Baby Never Cries   Anthem   Any Old Kind of Day   Babysitter   Barefoot Boy   Basic Protest Song   Bluesman   Bummer   Burning Herself   Calluses   Caroline   Cat's In The Cradle   Cat's InThe Cradle   Cat's In The Cradle   Cats In The Cradle   Changes   Circle   Corey's Coming   Corey's Coming   Could you put your Light on Please?   Could You Put Your Light On, Please   Country Dreams   Dance Band on the Titanic   Dancin' Boy   Dancin' Boy   Dancing Boy   Dirt Gets Under the Fingernails   Dogtown   Dreams Go By   Empty   Everybody's Lonely   Everybody's Lonely   Fall In Love With Him   Flowers Are Red   Get On With It   God Babe You've Been Good To Me   God Babe, You've Been Good For Me   God Babe, You've Been Good For Me   Greyhound   Halfway to Heaven   I Do It For You Jane   I Don't Want To Be President   I Don't Want To Be President   I Finally Found It, Sandy   I Miss America   I Wanna Learn a Love Song   I Want to Learn a Love Song   I Wonder What Happened To Him   I Wonder What Would Happen to Him   I Wonder What Would Happen to this World   If My Mary Were Here   If You Want to Feel   It Seems You Only Love Me When It Rains   Jenny   Jubilation   Last Of The Protest Singers   Last Stand   Laugh Man   Legends of the Lost and Found   Let Time Go Lightly   Love Is Just Another Word   Mail Order Annie   Manhood   Mercenaries   Mismatch   Mr. Tanner   My Old Lady   Northwest 222   November Rain   November Rains   Odd Job Man   Old College Avenue   Old Folkie   On the Road to Kingdom Come   One Light in a Dark Valley   Paint A Picture Of Yourself   Paint A Picture of Yourself (Michael)   Pigeon Run   Poor Damned Fool   Pretzel Man   Remember When the Music   Remember When the Music (Reprise)   Roll Down the River   Salt And Pepper   Sandy   Saturday Morning   Sequel   She Is Always Seventeen   She Sings Songs Without Words   Shooting Star   Short Stories   Silly Little Girl   Six String Orchestra   Sniper   Somebody Said   Someone Keeps Calling My Name   Sometime Somewhere Wife   Sometime, Somewhere Wife   Song for Myself   Song Man   Sounds Like America To Me   Star Tripper   Stop Singing These Sad Songs   Story of a Life   Stranger with the Melodies   Sunday Morning Sunshine   Tangled Up Puppet   Taxi   The Day They Closed the Factory Down   The Mayor of Candor Lied   The Parade's Still Passing By   The Parade's Still Passing By   The Rock   The Same Sad Singer   The Shortest Story   There Only Was One Choice   There's Alot of Lonely People Tonight   They Call Her Easy   Up On the Shelf   Vacancy   W.O.L.D   W.O.L.D.   W*O*L*D   We Grew Up A Little Bit   We Were Three   What Made America Famous   What Made America Famous?   Why Do Little Girls   Why Do Little Girls?   Why Should People Stay the Same   Winter Song   Woman Child   Word Wizard   You Are the Only Song

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