When will we be paid for the work we’ve done
When will we be paid for the work we’ve done

We worked this country 
From shore to shore 
Our women cooked all your food 
And washed all your clothes
We picked cotton and laid the railroad steel
Worked our hands down to the bone at your lumber mill

When will we be paid for the work we’ve done
When will we be paid for the work we’ve done

Fought in your wars, in every land
To keep this country free, y’all
For women, children, and men
But anytime we ask for pay or a loan
That’s when everything seems to turn out wrong

We’ve been beat up, called name, shot down, and stoned
Every time we do right, somebody say we’re wrong

When will we be paid for the work we’ve done
When will we be paid for the work we’ve done

Oh, oh when, when will we be paid ?