[Intro – Prominent harmonica lead, clear melodic riff] [Verse 1 – Harmonica fills between vocal lines] Rooster cuts loose before daylight breaks Screen door groans and the old house wakes Feed in the buckets, hay in the rack Sun coming gold through the sycamores out back Fence line leaning where the creek runs low One more post where the soft ground goes Hands know the work before my head gets there Morning still cool, little dew in the air [Pre-Chorus – Pedal steel rises, harmonica answers the vocal] Ain’t chasing easy Ain’t running from hard There’s something good about knowing Exactly who you are [Chorus – Full band, harmonica weaving around the lead vocal] This life is mine Every acre, every mile Every aching back and tired little smile From the first light breaking Till the whip-poor-will calls I’ve got dirt on my hands And my name on these walls It ain’t always pretty But Lord, it feels right Good people, good ground And a table every night I don’t need much more Than what I can see This life is mine And it’s enough for me [Instrumental Break – Harmonica solo, pedal steel response] [Verse 2 – Harmonica fills return] By noon that Georgia heat’s bearing down Sweat through my shirt before I make one round Baler belt snaps halfway through the field Cuss it once, then grab the tools and kneel Billy comes over when he sees me stuck Brings two cold waters in the bed of his truck Don’t ask for payment, don’t make a show Says, “You helped me last spring.” That’s just how it goes [Pre-Chorus – Pedal steel rises, harmonica answers the vocal] You learn who matters When something gives way Most folks around here Still show up and stay [Chorus – Full band, harmonica weaving around the lead vocal] This life is mine Every acre, every mile Every aching back and tired little smile From the first light breaking Till the whip-poor-will calls I’ve got dirt on my hands And my name on these walls It ain’t always pretty But Lord, it feels right Good people, good ground And a table every night I don’t need much more Than what I can see This life is mine And it’s enough for me [Verse 3 – Harmonica fills return] Sun drops red past the soybean rows Kitchen window glowing while the evening slows Beans in the pot, cornbread cut Tomatoes from the garden, chicken fried up Kids talk loud while the ceiling fan turns Mama tells stories everybody’s heard Somebody laughs before she gets to the end We’ve heard it a hundred times We’ll hear it again [Bridge – Stripped back, harmonica and pedal steel trading phrases] There’s a jar passed slow when the plates get cleared Strong enough to put some fire in your ears Neighbor plays something on an old six-string Nobody sings perfect Everybody sings And when the house gets quiet And the porch light’s gone You can hear the frogs carrying on by the pond Stars laid thick where the sky rolls wide And I thank God softly For another good night [Final Chorus – Strong harmonica lead above the full arrangement] This life is mine Every acre, every mile Every hard-earned wrinkle Every reason that I smile From the first bird calling Till the whole world stalls I’ve got dirt on my hands And my name on these walls Let the city keep shining Let the highway roll by I’ve got people who know me And a piece of open sky I don’t need much more Than what I can see This life is mine And it’s enough for me [Outro – Solo harmonica reprise] Tomorrow that rooster Will start up again I’ll pull on my boots And get back to it then Same ground Same sun Same work to do And I wouldn’t trade it For anything new
