[Verse 1]
Used to get paid to play a show
that was oh so long ago

then they raised the legal age
no I gotta pay to take the stage


I'm just another metal band
on the Tuesday night open mic
blowing a few days wages

to entertain -- YOU -- tonight

[Chorus]

Pay to Play:
twenty people in a concert hall
I paid five hundred dollars

to answer the Promoter's call

Pay to play:

the industry just took a fall
if it wasn't for pay to play-
I'd play nowhere

nowhere at all

[Verse 2]

I wait all month
for the promoter
and a call to fill his roster

I'll give ya the 6.15 spot
but it's gonna cost ya.


I'm just another metal band
battling my own obscurity
racing to come famous

before I run out of money

[Bridge]

They think I ain't good enough
but they rush the stage when I do my stuff
I play it loud

I play it rough
but the promoters ignore me
they treat me gruff


[Verse 3]
Can't give away any tickets

to anyone I know
they seem to have something better to do
than to support my show.


I'm just another metal band
on the music scene on long island

hawking the headliner's tickets
but no one seems to be buying