The Hands That Built My World

[Verse] Before I knew the meaning of a long day's sweat, I saw it in the hands that built what I won’t forget. Calloused palms and fingers worn like old oak bark, They held the light in shadows, they sparked my heart. [Verse 2] The farmer in the field, the miner in the ground, The mother sewing stitches while the kids run around. Their quiet strength spoke louder than the loudest song, And I learned to understand where I belong. [Chorus] The hands that built my world, they never did complain, Through the sun and through the cold, through the hunger, through the pain. They taught me what it means to stand and work until it’s done, Before I knew hard work, I saw where it’d begun. [Verse 3] Granddad at the sawmill, Mama at the stove, Every wrinkle on their hands told me what I should know. That love is in the labor, the simple, honest grind, It’s there within the dirt and sweat they leave behind. [Verse 4] The early morning sunrise, the plow against the land, The lessons in the silence of a working man’s hand. They didn’t need to speak a word, their actions said it all, Before I knew hard work, I saw them stand so tall. [Chorus] The hands that built my world, they never did complain, Through the sun and through the cold, through the hunger, through the pain. They taught me what it means to stand and work until it’s done, Before I knew hard work, I saw where it’d begun.