[Verse 1] These hands laid brick and swung a hammer Hauled a load through the pouring rain But my daughter handed me a hair tie And I've never felt so small again She looked up with those big brown eyes Said "Daddy, make it like a braid" I froze — a man who's feared by nothing Brought to ruin by second grade [Pre-Chorus] So here I am at half past seven Pint in hand and pride on the floor [Chorus] Clumsy hands, clumsy hands Doing something I don't understand Three strands over, hold it tight Getting it wrong but I'm getting it right Clumsy hands, her daddy's hands [Verse 2] The sparky's got his tongue out sideways Wrestling ribbon like it's copper wire The trucker's fingers thick as sausages Shaking like he's juggling fire We're all just fathers in a pub With our armor off and guards let down Thirty men who run the world by daylight Humbled by a little crown [Pre-Chorus] Nobody taught us this was coming Nobody said love costs this much pride [Chorus] Clumsy hands, clumsy hands Doing something I don't understand Three strands over, pull it through Getting it wrong but I'm doing it for you Clumsy hands, her daddy's hands [Bridge] She don't need me to be perfect She just needs me in the chair I'd learn a thousand useless things Just to put a ribbon in her hair And when I stumble through that door tonight She'll hand me that little brush again And even when the braid falls crooked She'll wear it like I gave her everything [Final Chorus] Clumsy hands, steady now Doing something I finally understand Three strands over, make it hold These callused palms are turning into gold Clumsy hands, her daddy's hands [Outro] Just to put a ribbon in her hair
