[Verse 1]
Well I'm grinding my life out, steady and sure
Nothing more wretched than what I must endure
I'm drenched in the light that shines from the sun
I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you done

[Chorus 1]
Sooner or later, you make a mistake
I'll put you in a chain that you never will break
Legs and arms and body and bone
I pay in blood, but not my own

[Verse 2]
Night after night, day after day
They strip your useless hopes away
The more I take the more I give
The more I die the more I live

[Chorus 2]
I got something in my pocket make your eyeballs swim
I got dogs could tear you limb from limb
I'm circling around the Southern Zone
I pay in blood, but not my own

[Verse 3]
Low cards are what I've got
But I'll play this hand whether I like it or not
I'm sworn to uphold the laws of God
You could put me out in front of a firing squad
[Chorus 3]
I've been out and around with the rowdy men
Just like you, my handsome friend
My head's so hard, must be made of stone
I pay in blood, but not my own

[Verse 4]
Another politician pumping out the piss
Another ragged beggar blowin' you a kiss
You got the same eyes that your mother does
If only you could prove who your father was

[Chorus 4]
Someone must have slipped a drug in your wine
You gulped it down and you cross the line
Man can't live by bread alone
I pay in blood, but not my own

[Verse 5]
How I made it back home, nobody knows
Or how I survived so many blows
I've been through hell, what good did it do?
You bastard! I'm suppose to respect you?

[Chorus 5]
I'll give you justice, I'll fatten your purse
Show me your moral virtues first
Hear me holler and hear me moan
I pay in blood but not my own
[Verse 6]
You bit your lover in the bed
Come here, I'll break your lousy head
Our nation must be saved and freed
You've been accused of murder, how do you plead?

[Chorus 6]
This is how I spend my days
I came to bury, not to praise
I'll drink my fill and sleep alone
I pay in blood, but not my own