jmjiloveyou - Keep the Wolves Away(jmj)
jmjiloveyou
Jun 19, 2025 11:43am
<p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Title: </strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Keep the Wolves Away</span></p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Artist: </strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Uncle Lucius</span></p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Economic Concepts: </strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Negative externalities; Market failure; Social class; Labor economics; Social safety net; Unemployment; Labor force participation rate </span></p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Details: </strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This song tells the story of a young boy growing up in a lower middle class family south of Houston, TX. His dad works hard, often more than 40 hours per work, in order to provide food, shelter, and safety for his family and "keep the wolves away". This is a good example of social class and the struggles faced by many poor, working class families. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> There are also multiple references to market failures and negative externalities. The skyline where the boy grew up is "colored by chemical plants"</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">and a drawing shows his house overshadowed by smokestacks and pollution. As a teenager, an oil tanker spilled "poison" into Galveston bay in the Gulf of Mexico, creating large external costs. A few years later, the family moves away from the greater Houston area "where the sky isn't heavy with refinery clouds". </span></p><p> Death and injury in the workplace are important topics in the study of labor economics. The boy's father is gravely injured when "liquid fire" filled his lungs and his eyes, which caused him to be sick for many years. As a result, he becomes disabled and is no longer able to work. This can be related to the discussion of who is counted as unemployed and labor force participation. </p><p> As a result of the man's disability and settlement money slowly running out, a discussion about social safety nets can also be incorporated. At the end of the song, the son takes on a greater responsibility and burden to care for his aging father and "keep the wolves away". </p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Lyrics</strong><strong>: </strong></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Took my first breath where the muddy Brazos</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">spills into the Gulf of Mexico,</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">and the skylines colored by chemical plants</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">put bread on the table of the working man.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Where the working man does his best to provide</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">safety and shelter for kids and a wife,</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Giving a little of his soul every day,</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">making overtime to keep the wolves away.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I was barely 13 when the company man</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">tried to dig my daddy's grave</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">It happened on a french owned tanker ship</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">spilling poison in the Galveston bay.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Where the liquid fire filled his lungs and his eyes</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">silenced any mortal cries.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Codeine the grit but death stang in pain -</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">He fought like hell to keep the wolves away.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">For the next few years dad was sick as a dog,</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">but he made a recovery just to spite the odds.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Settlement came and we moved out of town</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">where the sky isn't heavy with refinery clouds.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Yeah he's still alive he's doing good, he's in his fifties</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">but the money's running out and he's pinching for pennies</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">so Im going for broke with every song I play,</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">cause now it's my turn to keep the wolves away.</span></p>