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