PPE for the Soul (90s Country Shop-Floor Mix)

[Verse 1] Got safety glasses for hindsight When the old things glare Ear protection for bad advice Floating through the air A hard hat for the worry That keeps tapping on my door And a vest for stubborn silence I’ve worn a hundred times before [Verse 2] I seen folks order courage Like a new pair off the shelf Then send one poor soul home with it And tell him, “carry yourself” But a harness made for one back Won’t hold twenty years of strain And “I’m fine” can sound like weather When you say it in the rain [Pre-Chorus] Coffee on the scarred workbench Winter dark before we’re done Borrowed gloves, an empty chair Pulled in for everyone Somebody slides over quietly Makes a little more room That’s how a house stays standing That’s how we get through [Chorus] You can guard your eyes and cover your ears But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years You can guard your eyes and cover your ears But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years So pass that cup, and pass that chair Pass the time, and pull me near You can guard your eyes and cover your ears But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years [Verse 3] Rest is not a failing It’s a tool in decent hands Friendship is a kind of footing That helps a body stand Listening beats a lecture When the floor starts giving way And fair work is a blessing More than any words we say [Verse 4] Don’t tell me to be tougher When the load is set too high Fix the list, fix the schedule Let the whole team get by If you want somebody stronger Start by lightening the chain A person ain’t a machine part Put together to endure the strain [Bridge] So if you’re tired, say you’re tired If you’re bent, let us know We can split the lift between us We can move it slow No promise to cure the winter No halo, no big scene Just a hand on the timber And a few more hands between [Chorus] You can guard your eyes and cover your ears But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years You can guard your eyes and cover your ears But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years So pass that cup, and pass that chair Pass the time, and pull me near You can guard your eyes and cover your ears But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years [Outro] We’ll take the weight together Bit by bit, line by line One more chair, one more hand now That’s a better kind of fine