[Verse 1] I've built a thousand doorways, And I've hung a thousand frames, I've watched young lovers move into The houses that bear their names. I've worked through snow and summer, With these weather-beaten hands, Leaving pieces of my lifetime In the timber and the land. [Chorus] So raise a glass for the carpenter, For the ones who built this town, For the calloused hands and aching backs, That never let us down. The years may bend our shoulders, But our hearts are still strong, So pull up a chair beside me, boys, And sing the carpenter's song. [Verse 2] I built the church on Market Street, And the schoolhouse by the hill, The old red house by the riverbank Is standing proudly still. Now younger men swing hammers, And they work where I once stood, But every nail and beam still whispers Of sweat and honest wood. [Chorus] So raise a glass for the carpenter, For the ones who built this town, For the calloused hands and aching backs, That never let us down. The years may bend our shoulders, But our hearts are still strong, So pull up a chair beside me, boys, And sing the carpenter's song. [Bridge] And when I'm gone, don't mourn me long, Just gather with your friends, Tell a lie or two about me, And buy another round instead. For every board I've ever cut, And every roof I've known, Was just my way of leaving A little something of my own. [Instrumental Break] [Tin whistle, fiddle and accordion] [Final Chorus] So raise a glass for the carpenter, For the dreamers and the trades, For the men and women everywhere Who helped the town get made. The years may bend our shoulders, But our hearts are still strong, So pull up a chair beside me, friends, And sing the carpenter's song. [Outro] And if these walls could talk tonight, They'd tell you where I belong, Right here among the laughter, In the chorus of this song.
