Workingman's Hands

He can knock down the wall

Build it up strong

Set the flagstones in a path

With a nail and a hammer

Barrow and saw

See about the hole in the roof

And the gathered all breathe

A sigh of relief

At completion of a well-laid plan

It's wearing the day long

And breaking the skin

In the palms of the workingman's hands

Let the tool do the work

Pull and don't push

Drag that wagon over the hill

Measure twice and cut once, son

Clear the felled brush

Edge around the gardens and walks

On a shiny john deere

Will he reappear

With a power drill and a paintbrush

And a chip on his shoulder

As wide as a barn

And as hard as the workingman's hands

Now your uncle john walked

A mile to school

In a storm and it was uphill both ways

Oh, you save your money for a hole in the ground

A black car and a long wall of roses

And the gathered all breathe

A sigh of relief

At completion of a well-laid plan

It's wearing the day long

And breaking the skin

In the palms of the workingman's hands

Now the old iron gate

Could use some fresh paint