(Verse 1) Our yard was a kingdom of jagged machines Of metal and leather and grease-stained dreams A Wonder Wheel spinning, a steel-framed soul With straps on our feet for a heavy-duty roll Tractor tubes swollen like giant black lungs Waiting for leaps from the young and the dumb But I had a mean streak, boys will be boys I crossed a line though breaking my brother’s toys. (Chorus) Dad took my road grader out to the light Fifteen inches of yellow, polished and bright The pride of the Tonka, the king of the dirt He promised me a lesson, he promised it would hurt On the front sidewalk for the world to see He was gonna break my grader right in front of me (Verse 2) He stood like a mountain, armed with an axe To smash my grader would be my tax He raised up the handle, he took a deep breath Bringing that blade down like a cold kind of death The strike hit the crown with a hollow-point ring A spark in the quiet, a sharp, sudden sting I waited for splinters, I waited for red But the earth didn’t open and the steel wasn't dead. (Bridge) He leaned in to look at the damage he’d done Searching for wreckage in the heat of the sun A tiny crease in the yellow, a scar on the skin A dent where the iron had refused to give in He looked at the axe, then he looked at my face And a strange kind of silence fell over the place. (Verse 3) "They build 'em well," was all that he said Handed it back with a nod of his head I didn't say thank you, I didn't say why I just took my grader and off I did ride Straight to my hole, dark and deep Where secrets a boy and his grader can keep Stronger than vengeance and harder than bone Safe in the dirt and the steel on my own. (Outro) Yeah, just a crease on the top. Built to last. Back to the hole. Back to the dirt. (Fade out with a playful harmonica riff)
