[Verse 1] Before the sun climbs up the hill I’m already at the gate Half an hour since I've been up And the day won’t wait Red clay mud beneath my boots metal thermos in my hand First light breaks across the fields Like it understands [Verse 2] Dad’s truck's down by the silo Mud splashed on the side Grandma’s hands on the biscuit pan With the apples stacked inside Fence line’s leanin’, needs a fixin' Just one of the chores next in line There’s a rhythm in this work I do And it all gets done in time [Pre-Chorus] There’s a million little motions In a place this small and wide Every nail and every fence post Has a story on the side And the sun don’t care who’s hurryin’ It just rises where it’s told So we work with dirty hands Hard life is all we know [Chorus] Life on the farm It’s mud on the porch Life on the farm It’s work before dawn Life on the farm You give all day long And by supper time You’re still singin’ strong [Verse 3] We patch the wire by the south lot While the calves kick up their dust Mama tags the jars for peaches And we work on through ’til dusk My little brother feeds the chickens Spilling grain across his boots Then he laughs like he’s discovered Some new kind of truth [Verse 4] When the rain comes hard in April It drums on every tin And the river turns up muddy Round the bend behind the trees But the fields drink deep and open Like they knew just what they need And the clouds roll on in silent Like a promise they’ll keep [Pre-Chorus] There’s a million little motions In a place this small and wide Every nail and every fence post Built with sweat and pride And the night pulls up a blanket Over sheds and over stone We lock the gate, we count the stars And we make our way back home [Chorus] Life on the farm It’s mud on the porch Life on the farm It’s work before dawn Life on the farm You give all day long And by supper time You’re still singin’ strong [Bridge] Some folks take the easy road And some folks live more tame But I know every season here By the smell before the rain By the rooster call at sunrise By the happiness behind our front door And as the whole world changes We never ask for more [Final Chorus] Life on the farm It’s mud on the porch Life on the farm It’s work before dawn Life on the farm You give all day long And by supper time You’re still singin’ strong Life on the farm A hard-earned song Life on the farm Where we all belong
