The Fence

Piece by piece I put up a fence, all the way around
To keep out the thieves, the unwanted fools, and seemingly unending sounds
Many hands make light work, but this work was mine
My land and my name were at stake
After all, generations of hard working folks have dreamt of what I can now taste

I built it up tall and I painted it dark, from inside it looks real nice
And it does the job that I needed it to, it keeps out my neighbor's eyes
But somehow I knew the day would come when they'd come knock at my door
Where are you from? And what do you do? And what's this fence here for?

Inside the fence is the land that I love, it's rich in oil and gold
And ages of pride, and prosperous years, and stories better untold
This is the house where my grandfather lived, built by unwilling men
And the farm that's out back brings food from the ground from bloodstained soil beneath

Many a night, all i can hear is their laughter shake in the air
I close my eyes and I'm wakened by fear, one day all I own could be theirs
The kids jump the fence and they run through the yard
And I chase them right out the front gate
I get back to work and keep my head down, don't know how much more I can take

I know you said to have love for all me
But things look different than they looked then
From inside these walls I am safe and secure
And isn't that what we all work so hard for

Piece by piece I put up a fence, all the way around
But I hear their hugs, their laughter and cheer from behind on this lonely old ground
Did I miss the point of it all from inside, protecting myself and my wealth
This fence that I built to keep them all out may have just worked too well