The Last Car

Artist
Simon Kempston
Released
2015
  1. The Last Car -:-- / 5:29

I took a chance, Linwood ‘63,
Excited to be part of this new industry.
A shipbuilder by trade, I’d sought after expertise,
Though it took me time to acclimatise.

On reflection, that was where the struggle began.
No deflection, the whole shop floor carried the can.
The last car has left the production line.

Takeovers ensued, union disputes were rife.
For two whole decades, I never knew security in life.
Chrysler, Peugeot, Talbot, industrial behemoths,
All used different methods to cut their staffing cloths.

I can’t remember, being informed of the closure news.
The floor as one in sorrow, we could no more any of us lose,
For the last car had left the production line.

There was nothing to speak of, when I started my search for work,
I cast my net wider, as the outlook grew worse.
A community destroyed, 13,000 lives,
I was one of many to leave, to grieve, to barely survive.

Long-term unemployment and a broken marriage later.
A son who’s disowned me, and a daughter who’s been raised to hate me.
And the last car has left the production line.

Scotland, I love you, but you left me a defeated man,
Thatcher, I despise you, as only someone with decency can.

You ignored our pleas for help, how could you refuse?
All because you were a slave to free market rule.

And the last car has left the production line.
The last car has left the production line.