[Verse 1] Sitting in the barbershop, listening to the blues Twenty-one years of these clippers and these shoes Cutting through the mornings, cutting through the days Wondering where the years went, watching time roll away [Verse 2] I think about Mr. Scales, the man who put me on A legend with a steady hand, even now he’s not gone He could shape a head of hair, make anybody proud His chair may sit empty, but I still feel him around [Chorus] I’m a barber for life, I can’t deny I’ll keep these clippers moving till my time is up and I die This shop is more than four walls, more than a place to earn It’s home beneath my hands, where the old stories return [Verse 3] I still cut his customers, I still cut mine Sweeping up the hair beneath these familiar signs We talk about the past, we talk about today Watch a little ballgame, let the afternoon drift away [Verse 4] Black men come through the doorway carrying years upon their face Trading jokes and hard-earned wisdom, finding comfort in this place Music in the background, one more story in the air For a little while, nobody has to hurry anywhere [Chorus] I’m a barber for life, I can’t deny I’ll keep these clippers moving till my time is up and I die This shop is more than four walls, more than a place to earn It’s home beneath my hands, where the old stories return [Bridge] Twenty-one years, and I’d choose it all again Every head, every name, every brother, every friend It’s been one hell of a journey, but the feeling stays the same When that next man walks inside, I’m ready for the game [Verse 5] Now my day is over, I’m locking up the door Sweep the last hair from the floor like I’ve done a thousand times before Tomorrow morning I’ll be waiting in my chair For the next head through the doorway, for the next story to share [Outro] I ain’t gonna skip a beat, this craft is in my blood Barbering is my calling, it’s the life I understood So who’s next for a cut when the morning breaks through? I’ll be right here behind my chair, doing what I do
