[Intro] Heard the gravel crunch before I saw the chrome... Engine tickin' cool in the August heat. Stepped out in spotless leather like you never left home. [Verse 1] You walked up the porch in your spotless boots, Smilin' like we're just gonna talk about the weather. Talkin' 'bout the trust fund and what the old man signed, While I was in the parlor, keeping Mama's breath in time. You memorized the zip code, yeah, you got the map... But you don't know the sound of a lung giving out in the dark. [Pre-Chorus] So keep those soft palms gripped on that leather wheel. Don't you dare lecture me on how a home should feel. [Chorus] 'Cause you want the timber, but you never swung the axe! You want the deed box, but you never paid the tax! This soil ain't a bedtime story for your city friends— It’s the nights I held her hand while she was slipping to the end! So go on. Flash that heavy gold watch at the screen door. Play the prodigal son like you done before. But you can’t buy the sweat you never owed. The clay remembers the boots that stayed. And roots don’t lie. [Verse 2] I was sittin' right here when the bank sent the final notice. When the green tractor choked and the winter turned vicious. You were up in Atlanta, chasin' neon and pride, Sendin' store-bought cards sayin' "Prayin' for the rain outside." Now you brought a suit from the city? Got a notary stamp? Thinkin' a boy's signature outweighs a woman's hands. [Pre-Chorus] I said keep those soft palms gripped on that leather wheel. Don't you dare lecture me on how a home should feel! [Chorus] 'Cause you want the timber, but you never swung the axe! You want the deed box, but you never paid the tax! This soil ain't a bedtime story for your city friends— It’s the nights I held her hand while she was slipping to the end! So go on. Flash that heavy gold watch at the screen door. Play the prodigal son like you done before. But you can’t buy the sweat you never owed. The clay remembers the boots that stayed. And roots don’t lie. [Bridge] Blood... blood just puts your name on the family tree. But the sweat... The sweat buys the right to bleed. They handed you the paper 'cause you're the firstborn son. They handed me the sickness when the dying was done. I never left. I'm the mud on your tires, man. I'm the dirt you're standin' in. [Final Chorus] YOU WANT THE TIMBER, BUT YOU NEVER SWUNG THE AXE! YOU WANT THE DEED BOX, BUT YOU NEVER PAID THE TAX! THIS SOIL AIN'T A BEDTIME STORY FOR YOUR CITY FRIENDS! IT’S THE NIGHTS I HELD HER HAND WHILE SHE WAS SLIPPING TO THE END! Yeah, charm the old woman! Wear your tailored vest! But you can't trick the earth, and you failed the test! The clay has a memory! It knows who stayed to fight! [Outro] Yeah... roots don't lie. They never do. Put that clean sedan in reverse. Watch your step on the porch... that third board's still rotted out. This ain't your dirt. [End]
