The farmer grows the wheat
The farmer sows the seeds
The farmer tills and harvests
To meet the baker’s needs
The miller grinds the wheat
The straw and chaff she’ll scour
Separating germ and bran
To make the baker’s flour
Meanwhile you bake
The cake that they take
And crumbs are all they say
Your cake is worth
The bigger the cake
The more crumbs it makes
And that’s the way they say
That baking works
The farmer grows the beet
Made ready to eat
The baker needs the sugar
To keep the baking sweet
Of butter, milk, and eggs
It’s often left unsaid
That cruelty concedes
To what the baker needs
Meanwhile you bake
The cake that they take
And crumbs are all they say
Your cake is worth
The bigger the cake
The more crumbs it makes
And that’s the way they say
That baking works
The cake keeps getting bigger
While the same old crumbs fall down
The baker’s getting thinner
It’s the same all round the town
The cake keeps getting bigger
But the table’s getting higher
The baker’s getting thinner
And the bakery’s on fire
Meanwhile you bake
The cake that they take
And crumbs are all they say
Your cake is worth
The bigger the cake
The more crumbs it makes
And that’s the way they say
That baking works
Steve White & The Protest Family 