He was new to the office Hungry for a name Fresh set of boots And a fire in his veins Said, I found a grow up In the White Mountains high Could use another hand If you’ve got time We rolled out early Long before the dawn Headlights cutting through The dark and cold At the mountain’s foot He pointed up the wash Three and a half miles Of misery to cross Three thousand feet between The truck and sky My legs started burning ‘For we got halfway high He kept saying almost there With that young man grin That’s when I should’ve known What trouble I was in That was the time My friend tried to kill me Left me climbing Where the air got thin He said It’s just a hike Like that made it easy While my knees were screaming Don’t go with him We found what we came for Did the job and headed down But the mountain took its payment Before we reached the ground I survived the mission But barely made it free That was the time My friend tried to kill me We found the hidden garden Tucked against the stone Green where the mountain Never should’ve grown We handled what we came for Marked the place Then started back down At a crawling pace Going up had been a war Against the climb Going down put a Hammer to my spine Every step came ringing Through my bones Every breath said You should’ve stayed at home He moved like a mountain goat Lite upon his feet I moved like an old truck With a busted front seat He said You doing all right I said I’ll let you know When I find a way To make these legs let go That was the time My friend tried to kill me Left me crawling down A mountain in the sun He was building his reputation I was bargaining with Every muscle one by one We finally hit the truck And I thought the worst was done But three long hours of driving Still waited to come I survived the mountain But the ride finished me That was the time My friend tried to kill me By the time we reached the office In the evening light I was locked inside that truck Too stiff to fight Couldn’t swing the door Couldn’t bend my knees Couldn’t walk straight For a couple weeks He said You want some help I said Son don’t move You’ve done enough damage For one day’s work to prove He laughed like it was nothing Just another field day thrill While I was learning every way A human body can be still He was new to the office Trying to make a name And I suppose he did Exactly that day Years went by But the story stayed alive Every time we talked I told him he’d tried Not with a weapon Not with a blow Just a mountain trail And a place to go He asked for help And I gave him mine That’s how good friends Make bad decisions sometimes That was the time My friend tried to kill me Three and a half miles Into the clouds Three thousand feet One illegal grow And a partner who Was way too proud We made it back alive Though my pride took longer still And my legs kept The evidence against my will I survived the mission And I’m laughing now you see But that was the time My friend tried to kill me So if a new agent says I could use some help And points toward the mountains Like he knows the trail Tell him friend I’ve seen that look before Then lock your knees And brace for war
