A gravel road runs through the trees, an old wooden gate stands tall A rookie foreman shakes his head and tells the crew to clear it all He says, "It’s blocking up the flow, it doesn't serve a modern need It’s useless friction in the way, so let's pick up the pace and speed." An old hand steps into his path and lays a palm upon the pine He says, "Before you swing your sledge across this quiet border line— If you can't tell me why it's here, or what it ever stood to face I’ll never hand a tool to you to wipe it off the living place." (Chorus) Don't tear down the fence until you know why it was made Every stubborn post was sunk in debts that someone paid You called the friction useless, you mistook the guard for waste Now the old disaster rushes back to mock your blinding haste Go sit upon the boundary stone, go listen to the past Learn the ghost it kept away, before you pull the cast. (Verse 2) A young coder sits beneath the glow, scrolling down the legacy lines "Why double-check this transaction state? What idiot wrote these signs? It drops our speed by half a beat, it’s bloat that clutters up the view." He strips the redundant safety check and pushes it straight through At midnight on a Friday clock, the database begins to bleed A race condition eats the ledgers, drowning in the system’s greed The margin that he called a flaw, the brake he cursed as slow and dead Was the only thread that held the bank against an avalanche of red. (Verse 3) A city council wants to build upon the wetlands near the shore "Drain out the marsh," the papers cry, "we need the space for commerce more! It's just idle mud and tangled reeds, unproductive, stagnant space." They lay down asphalt, build the blocks, and pave the swamp without a trace Then the autumn sky turns iron-gray, the hurricane begins to churn With nowhere left for rain to sit, the lesson comes in hard return The basement floors, the living rooms, are submerged five feet deep in foam The friction was the sponge that kept the ocean from the home. (Chorus) Don't tear down the fence until you know why it was made Every stubborn post was sunk in debts that someone paid You called the friction useless, you mistook the guard for waste Now the old disaster rushes back to mock your blinding haste Go sit upon the boundary stone, go listen to the past Learn the ghost it kept away, before you pull the cast. (Bridge) We inherit quiet peace and think that peace is free We mistake the quiet garden for the absence of the sea Every policy in yellowed print, every tedious delay Was drafted in the ashes of an unforgotten day You call it bureaucratic rust, you call it foolish weight Until the bull walks through the gap you tore into the gate. (Verse 4) An executive takes up the shears to streamline down the factory floor "Why keep a backup generator standing by the loading door? Why carry double inventory just to let the dust collect? Cut the slack, lean it down, maximize what we project." Then the harbor freezes solid, the main power grid goes down The fragile chain snaps in an hour, idling the whole dark town The "lean efficiency" he sold was just a house of brittle glass That stripped away the shock absorbers built to let the winter pass. (Guitar / Fiddle Solo) (Chorus) Don't tear down the fence until you know why it was made Every stubborn post was sunk in debts that someone paid You called the friction useless, you mistook the guard for waste Now the old disaster rushes back to mock your blinding haste Go sit upon the boundary stone, go listen to the past Learn the ghost it kept away, before you pull the cast. (Outro) Go away and think a while Walk the perimeter mile by mile When you can name the monster that this timber held in check Only then bring out the chains to pull it from the neck Till you know the danger… Leave the timber in the clay. Leave the fence where it stands today.
