Took my first breath where the muddy Brazos

Spills into the Gulf of Mexico

With a skyline that's colored by chemical plants

To put bread on the table of the working man

Where the working man does his best to provide

Safety and shelter for kids and a wife

Giving a little of his soul everyday

Making overtime to keep the wolves away

I was barely thirteen when the company man

Tried to dig my daddy's grave

It happened on a French owned tanker ship

Spilling poison in the Galveston Bay

Well, the liquid fire filled his lungs and his eyes

Silenced any mortal cries

Cold in the grip of death's stinging pain

He fought like hell to keep the wolves away

For the next few years, dad was sick as a dog

But he made a recovery just to spite the odds

The settlement came and we moved out of town

Where the sky isn't heavy with refinery clouds

Yeah, he's still alive, he's doing good, he's in his 50s

But the money's running out and he's pinching for pennies

So I'm going for broke with every song I play

'Cause now it's my turn to keep the wolves away