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