Five Long Years

The speaker describes years of hard work and devotion to a woman who eventually throws him out. He sounds hurt and resentful, especially as he repeats the question “Have you ever been mistreated?” This invites listeners to share his sense of injustice. By the end, his sadness has hardened into anger and a vow to change how he approaches future relationships.

The steel mill image emphasizes exhausting, physical labor: he compares his work to being a slave, suggesting that he feels trapped and exploited. Coming home each Friday with all his pay implies that he gave his earnings to the woman, though the lyrics do not explain their exact financial arrangement. The phrase “she had the nerve” means he sees her action as shockingly bold or unfair.

His “lesson” is that the next woman he marries should work and bring in money too. This may express a desire for fairness after feeling used, but it also sounds bitter and transactional. The song gives only his side of the breakup, so listeners cannot know whether his account is complete. Its repeated complaints can be heard both as a sincere expression of pain and as a dramatic blues performance that turns disappointment into a memorable refrain.