Granddaddy woke ‘fore the rooster cried
Ready to work ‘fore the sun could rise
Black coffee strong, hands worn and tough
Said, Boy, this life don’t owe you much
Out in the field with a crooked grin
Swingin’ that hammer like a young man again
I asked him once why he pushed so hard
He leaned right close from that old porch yard
He said, Son, you rest, you rust
Like an old truck settin’ gatherin’ dust
You keep them wheels turnin’, rain or shine
Or time’ll steal what strength is mine
Ain’t in the years, it’s in the fight
Keep your hands movin’ ’til your last daylight
You wanna live, don’t you ever just
Remember, boy, you rest, you rust
seventy-eight years and he still stood tall
Choppin’ that wood come early fall
Back bent low but his fire stayed high
Had more grit than men half his size
Old Ford crankin’ with a stubborn cough
He’d laugh and say, She just needs to run it off
Grease on his hands, dirt on his jeans
Said, A man slows down, he ain’t what he seems
He said, Son, you rest, you rust
Like an old truck settin’ gatherin’ dust
You keep them wheels turnin’, rain or shine
Or time’ll steal what strength is mine
Ain’t in the years, it’s in the fight
Keep your hands movin’ ’til your last daylight
You wanna live, don’t you ever just
Remember, boy, you rest, you rust
Now the porch is quiet, his chair don’t creak
But I still hear him every week
In every nail and every load I haul
In every rise when I could fall
Yeah, I feel him there in the morning frost
In every mile that I ain’t lost
My hands look like his more every day
Same old scars, same stubborn way
Sun goin’ down but I ain’t done yet
Got a little more fire, a little more sweat
I hear his voice when my bones get sore
Boy, you got plenty left in store
He said, Son, you rest, you rust
Like an old truck settin’ gatherin’ dust
You keep them wheels turnin’, rain or shine
Don’t let time steal what’s yours and mine
Ain’t in the years, it’s in the fight
Keep your hands movin’ ’til your last daylight
You wanna live, don’t you ever just
Remember, boy, you rest, you rust
“You Rest, You Rust” is track number 11 on the Thumper Barrel album, Stump Water.
Track: You Rest, You Rust
Album: Stump Water
ISRC: QZTAW2631110
ASCAP: 935304776