[Intro] [fingerstyle acoustic guitar, syncopated bass, light percussion] [Verse 1] [tenor male vocals] My chisel sits cold against the pine The dust they settled on the floor They bring in blocks of porphyry And push the timber out the door [Pre-Chorus] [electric piano enters] The pace is rising fast The hands don't matter now They fear the uneven edge [Chorus] [full band, layered vocal harmonies] They break the craftsman's vow Everything is changing far too fast (Far too fast) It slips away Nothing built with patience seems to last (Slips away) I am left behind with useless tools [Guitar Solo] [clean electric guitar with light overdrive and reverb, bluesy phrasing] [Verse 2] They mold the shapes in factory steel Without a flaw, without a mark I turn my head from what they buy And sit alone here in the dark [Pre-Chorus] The pace is rising fast The hands don't matter now They fear the uneven edge [Chorus] They break the craftsman's vow Everything is changing far too fast (Far too fast) It slips away Nothing built with patience seems to last (Slips away) I am left behind with useless tools [Bridge] [vocal intensity increases, driving drums] I lock my fists around the grain I fear the smooth unyielding grey You throw away the touch of man To build a world of swift decay [Chorus] [climax, high tenor ad-libs] Everything is changing far too fast (Far too fast) It slips away Nothing built with patience seems to last (Slips away) I am left behind with useless tools [Outro] [vocals fade] My chisel sits cold against the pine [Instrumental Outro] [fretless bass solo, complex drum fills, electric piano chords, acoustic guitar continues fingerstyle pattern]
