He Fades Away

There's a man in my bed, I used to love him
His kisses used to take my breath away.
There's a man in my bed, I hardly know him
I wipe his face and hold his hand
And watch him as he slowly fades away.

Chrous
And he fades away
Not like leaves that fall in autumn
Turning gold against the grey;
He fades away
Like the blood stains on the pillow-case
That I wash every day
He fades away.

There's a man in my bed, he's on a pension
Although he's only fifty years of age.
The lawyer said we might get compensation
In the course of due procedure
But he wouldn't say for certain at this stage.

Chrous

And he's not the only one
Who made the trip so many years ago
To work the Wittenoom mine
So many young men old before their time and dying slow
They fade away.
Wheezing bags of bone with lungs half clogged and filled with clay
They fade away.

There's a man in my bed, they never told him
The cost of bringing home his weekly pay
And when the courts decide on compensation
How will he spend his money
As he lies in bed and coughs his life away.

Chrous