HIS OLD HANDS
WERE BROWN
FROM THE VARNISH
AND THE STAIN
AND I HAD COME
TO TALK IN
MY YOUTH AND
IN MY PAIN
I TOLD HIM THAT
I WAS NOT
THE MAN
I WANT TO BE
AND I WAITED
TO SEE
WHAT HE
WOULD SAY
BUT HE JUST KEPT
ON WORKIN'
AS IF I WASN'T
THERE
WITH SWEAT
ON HIS FACE
AND DUST
IN HIS HAIR
HE PAUSED FOR
A MOMENT WHEN
I'D BEEN THERE
FOR A WHILE
HE WIPED
HIS BROW
I THOUGHT
I SAW HIM SMILE
HE JUST SAID WOOD
FROM THE EARTH
BENEATH OUR
FEET THERE
GROWS A TREE
AND WE CAN TAKE
IT AND SHAPE
IT FOR WHAT IT'S
MEANT TO BE
THE STRONGER THE FIBER
THE BETTER FOR THE GOOD
SON I BELIEVE THAT MEN
ARE JUST LIKE WOOD
I HANDED HIM
A TIMBER AND
HE LAYED IT
ON THE BENCH
I WATCHED THE
LOVIN' CARE HE
TOOK TO MEASURE
EVERY INCH
THE WORK IT GOT
HARDER WHEN
HE'D CUT ACROSS
THE GRAIN
BUT HE'D JUST
PUT MORE
SHOULDER TO
THE PLANE
I SAT THERE
BESIDE HIM AS
HE CARVED OUT
EVERY LINE
HE MADE A THING
OF BEAUTY FROM
A ROUGH OLD
PIECE OF PINE
HE SEEMED TO
HAVE THE VISION
OF WHAT THE
END WOULD BE
I FELT AS IF SOME
PIECES HAD
BEEN TAKEN
OUT OF ME
HE SAID WOOD
FROM THE EARTH
BENEATH OUR
FEET THERE
GROWS A TREE
AND WE CAN TAKE
IT AND SHAPE
IT FOR WHAT IT'S
MEANT TO BE
THE STRONGER
THE FIBER
THE BETTER FOR
THE GOOD
SON I BELIEVE
THAT MEN
ARE JUST
LIKE WOOD
I LEFT A LITTLE TALLER
WISER AND FREE
I'VE LEARNED THE
USE OF TOOLS
FOR THE
CARPENTER IN ME
I DON'T HAVE ALL
THE ANSWERS
BUT THERE'S ONE THING
I HAVE FOUND
WE ARE THE
CHOICES THAT WE
MAKE WHEN THE
CHIPS ARE DOWN
WOOD
HE SAID THE
STRONGER THE
FIBER THE BETTER
FOR THE GOOD
SON I BELIEVE
THAT MEN
ARE JUST LIKE WOOD
JUST LIKE WOOD