Story Behind The Song
This song was written to honor the small town teams of the 1920's and 1930's like the Ironton Tanks, Portsmouth Spartans, Decatur Staleys, Muncie Flyers and Canton Bulldogs.
Song Description
In the early days of pro football, the teams were largely in small factory towns where the workers played on weekends in front of home town crowds. The teams were purchased for small sums of money and moved to the big cities. the Detroit Lions have lineage going back to the Portsmouth Spartans and Ironton Tanks. The Green Bay Packers are the only remaining "small" town team.
| Song Length |
3:09 |
Genre |
Rock - Easy Listening, Country - Alternative |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Welcoming, Cool |
Subject |
Athlete, Sports, History, Past |
| Similar Artists |
John Cougar Mellencamp, Marty Stuart |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1920 - 1929 |
| |
Lyrics
Men of Iron and Steel - Dave Berry ©2003
Chorus
Men of iron, men of steel from the factory's to the field
Share the glory?s of their youth that they lost along the way
Men of iron, men of steel from the factory's to the field
Share the stories of their youth from yonder day
Many games came and went like a roving circus tent
With the ball, sailing high in the wind
Ghost's of Jim, Glen and Earl still around, if you look
Past the stands of the tattered fields today
Repeat chorus
People came, saw them fall move away and win it all
Then tell stories of when factories fed the fields
Many jobs, were offered up but the best ones moved on up
To the pros and left the little towns behind
Repeat chorus
But there's one who remains after college on the plains
Scoring touchdowns for thebest that could be found
Growing old, still looks back to the shadows of his youth
Where he worked and played the game of men and steel
Repeat chorus