It Pays Big Money

My oldest brother, Tommy who was a lineman, rest his soul
His job was hanging hot wires on them power company poles
I said "With all of that high voltage don't it scare you half to death?"
He said "It makes me kinda nervous but I just can't help myself

'Cause it pays big money and boy I'm into that
It pays big money if you're willin' to take a chance
I'll tell you, sonny, you ought to see my bank account"
It paid big money but he sure can't spend it now

My dear departed cousin used to put in forty hours
Changing all them light bulbs on them television towers
Every morning, bright and early, he'd climb up in the sky
And I didn't understand it so one day I asked him why

He said "It pays big money and boy I'm into that
It pays big money if you're willin' to take a chance
I'll tell you, sonny, you ought to see my bank account"
It paid big money but he sure can't spend it now

My late uncle Charlie was a demolition man
And he traveled all over the country blasting holes in this great land
And he carried a case of dynamite everywhere he went
And he'd smoke them big long cigars 'til it got the best of him

But it paid big money and he was into that
It paid big money and he was willin' to take a chance
He said "I'll tell you, sonny, you ought to see my bank account"
It paid big money but he sure can't spend it now

Now the moral of this story is don't go getting yourself killed
And be kind to your rich relatives and they might just leave you in their will

And that pays big money, oh, having foolish kin
It pays big money, I guess I owe it all to them
I'll tell you, sonny, you ought to see my bank account
It pays big money, think I'll go spend some of it now