Ruby Thorne - Winter Wage Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Daddy's hands are stained with steel again
December's overtime keeps rolling in
I watch him count the pennies late at night
While Christmas lights flash cheap and bright

[Pre-Chorus]
Factory smoke against winter stars
Another shift behind those iron bars
He thinks I'm sleeping, but I know
The price of every gift wrapped down below

[Chorus]
This is our winter wage
Love paid in overtime
While others deck their halls with gold
We're rich in different ways, you'll find
Our Christmas lights might flicker low
But daddy's love burns bright, I know

[Verse 2]
Empty coffee cups and tired eyes
He hides his yawns and tells familiar lies
"Just one more shift, baby, that's all"
As frost creeps up our bedroom wall
Mother says he's doing what he must
While rich kids get their dreams, we learn to trust

[Bridge]
In the shadow of the factory's gleam
Working-class Christmas ain't what it seems
But when he wraps that single gift with care
I see a love no money can compare

[Chorus]
This is our winter wage
Love paid in overtime
While others deck their halls with gold
We're rich in different ways, you'll find
Our Christmas lights might flicker low
But daddy's love burns bright, I know

[Outro]
The factory whistle cuts through snow
Another shift, another show
Of quiet love that breaks my heart
As winter tears our world apart
But daddy's hands still carry home
The warmth that makes this house our own