High Scalers

Been here since Boulder City was just Ragtown Came west when we had nowhere else to go And left behind those old breadlines to build this dam Joined a crew of Indians, acrobats, and sailors We all earn an extra quarter on the hour To put our hope in lengths of rope Swinging high out o'er the canyon Dynamite clenched in our teeth We're the high scalers Dodging falling rocks, we climb across the cliff face Wielding jackhammers that weigh near 50 pounds Cheating chance with hard-boiled hats and nerves of steel Performing when the foremen are distracted For the workers, a few hundred feet below They hold their breath while we dance with death Swinging high out o'er the canyon Dynamite clenched in our teeth We're the high scalers But the pace they set is truly treacherous Too many friends gone far too soon In the years to come it will be sung of us "They died to make the desert bloom" Swinging high out o'er the canyon Dynamite clenched in our teeth Swinging high out o'er the canyon Dynamite clenched in our teeth We're the high scalers