Dignity
Deacon Lyrics

There's a man I meet, walks up our street
The singer sees a man who works for the council and walks up their street

He's a worker for the council
The man works for the council

Has been twenty years
The man has been working for the council for twenty years

And he takes no lip off nobody
The man is not intimidated by anyone

And litter off the gutter
The man picks up litter from the gutter

Puts it in a bag
The man puts the litter in a bag

And never thinks to mutter
The man does not complain or grumble

And he packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag
The man packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag

The children call him Bogie
The children have given him the nickname 'Bogie'

He never lets on
The man never shows any indication that he knows about his nickname

But I know 'cause he once told me
The singer knows about the man's nickname because he once told them

He let me know a secret about the money in his kitty
The man told the artist a secret about the money he had saved

He's gonna buy a dinghy
The man is going to buy a small boat

Gonna call her Dignity
The man is going to name his boat 'Dignity'

And I'll sail her up the west coast
The singer plans to sail the boat up the west coast

Through villages and towns
The artist plans to sail through various towns and villages

I'll be on my holidays
The artist will be on vacation

They'll be doing their rounds
Others will be doing their work routines

They'll ask me how I got her I'll say, "I saved my money"
When asked how the singer acquired the boat, they will respond by saying they saved up money to purchase it

They'll say, "Isn't she pretty? That ship called Dignity"
Others will admire the boat and comment on how beautiful it is

And I'm telling this story
The artist is recounting their plan to sail the boat

In a faraway sea
The artist is imagining telling this story while on a different sea

Sipping down raki
The singer is drinking raki (an anise-flavoured alcoholic drink)

And reading Maynard Keynes
The artist is reading the works of economist John Maynard Keynes

And I'm thinking about home and all that that means
The singer is reminiscing about their home and what it represents

And a place in the winter for dignity
The singer values having dignity even during the harder winter months

Stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up
The repeated line is a rallying cry to stand up for dignity

Yeah, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again
The artist emphasizes the importance of repeatedly standing up for dignity

And I'm thinking about home
The artist continues to think about their home

And I'm thinking about faith
The singer is also considering their faith

And I'm thinking about work
The singer is reflecting on the value of work

And I'm thinking how good it would be
The artist thinks about how wonderful it would be to experience having dignity

To be here some day
The artist hopes to experience dignity one day

On a ship called Dignity
The artist associates this hope with the name of their boat

A ship called Dignity
Reinforcement of the boat's name and its symbolic importance to the singer