[Verse 1] Knees in the dirt Hands on the grain That stump still breathes Under the rain Blistered palms Splintered and torn I dug all day And it laughed at me more Thick white roots Wrapped like chains Hooked in the ground Hooked in my veins [Pre-Chorus] Pull It fights back Twist It snaps Dig past the bark Past the black If I leave one piece It grows right back [Chorus] Root by root I rip it out Root by root I break it down Deep in the mud Where the rot begins I take the whole thing out So it can't live again Root by root I rip it out Root by root I break it down [Verse 2] Mud on my face Blood in the crease Every new hold Feels like a beast I lean with my weight Hear the fibers crack I don't want shade I don't want it back This thing went deep Below the floor Into the bones Of the place I swore Cut at the top It would survive So I went lower To keep me alive [Pre-Chorus] Pull It fights back Twist It snaps Dig past the bark Past the black If I leave one piece It grows right back [Chorus] Root by root I rip it out Root by root I break it down Deep in the mud Where the rot begins I take the whole thing out So it can't live again Root by root I rip it out Root by root I break it down [Bridge] [Breakdown] All that poison Wants a name All that poison Wants the blame But I found the knot In the buried dark I took my hands And I tore it apart [Final Chorus] Root by root I rip it out Root by root I break it down Deep in the mud Where the rot begins I take the whole thing out So it can't live again Root by root I rip it out Root by root I break it down Root by root I tear it free No dead thing Gets to grow in me
