in the middle of late last night i was sittin’ on a curb
i didn’t know what about but i was feelin’ quite disturbed
a street sweeper came whistlin’ by he was bouncin’ every step
it seemed strange how good he felt so i asked him while he swept
he said it’s my job to be cleaning up this mess
and that’s enough reason to go for me
it’s my job to be better than the rest
and that makes a day for me
i got an uncle who owns a bank he’s a selfmade millionaire
he never had anyone to love never had no one to care
he always seemed kinda sad to me and i asked him why that was
and he told me it’s because in my contract there’s this clause
that says it’s my job to be worried half to death
and that’s the thing people respect in me
it’s my job but without it i’d be less
than what i expect from me
now i’ve been lazy most all my life writin’ songs and sleepin’ late
and any manual labor i’ve done was purely by mistake
if street sweepers can smile then i’ve got no right to feel upset
but sometimes i still forget
’til the lights go on and the stage is set
and the song hits home and you feel that sweat
it’s my job to be different than the rest
and that’s enough reason to go for me
it’s my job to be better than the rest
and that’s a rough break for me
it’s my job to be cleaning up this mess
and that’s enough reason to go for me
it’s my job to be better than the rest
and that makes the day for me
notes
background vocals mac mcanally jd souther
Artist: Jimmy Buffett
Year: 1981
Decade: 80s
Language: en
Word Count: 138