Every Scratch Has a Story

[Verse 1 — fingerpicked] Found a hammer in a toolbox, Handle worn and head gone gray. Beside a tape with faded numbers, And a hinge from yesterday. Somebody worked a lot of mornings With those simple things in hand. Never carved his name in marble, But he helped a doorway stand. [Harmonica answer] [Chorus] Every scratch has a story, Every handle has a name. Some hands build a shelter, Some hands learn to change. It ain't the shine upon the toolbox, Ain't the price of what you own. It's the love you put in fixing What another heart calls home. Every scratch has a story, And the good ones carry on. [Verse 2] There was rust upon the pliers, There was sawdust in the seams. I could hear an old voice saying, "Build it stronger than your dreams." You can mend a broken window, You can straighten out a nail. But if somebody's heart is hurting, Pull a chair up; hear their tale. [Chorus] Every scratch has a story, Every handle has a name. Some hands build a shelter, Some hands learn to change. It ain't the shine upon the toolbox, Ain't the price of what you own. It's the love you put in fixing What another heart calls home. Every scratch has a story, And the good ones carry on. [Bridge — sparse guitar] Let the hammer rest a minute, Let the heart do something kind. There's a lot of work worth doing That don't leave a mark behind. [Harmonica solo — tender swing] [Final chorus] Every scratch has a story, Every handle has a name. Some hands build a shelter, Some hands learn to change. I don't need a golden trophy, Just to know before I'm gone That the good I put in motion Found another pair of hands. Every scratch has a story, And the good ones carry on. [Spoken outro] Every song tells a story. So does every scar on an old hammer. Keep your porch light on.