The Recipe in the Leather

[Intro]
[Verse]
The sun’s dipping low
Where the mesquites grow
Dust on the dash
A memory flash
Driving this old truck
Running out of luck
But I remember the day
In a West Texas way
[Chorus]
Chipped horseshoes and red dust
In a soul I can trust
She saw through the grime
In a hard-scrabble time
A widow’s quiet hand
Across the dry land
I still feel the grace
Of that holy place
[Verse]
Sun-bleached fence posts line the road
Heavy is the farrier's load
Boot leather caked in dry clay
At the end of a long day
She stood by the gate
In a lonely state
Watching the horses run
Beneath the fading sun
[Pre-Chorus]
Reach for my pocket now
Wipe the sweat from my brow
Feel the paper worn thin
Where the healing begins
[Chorus]
Chipped horseshoes and red dust
In a soul I can trust
She saw through the grime
In a hard-scrabble time
A widow’s quiet hand
Across the dry land
I still feel the grace
Of that holy place
[Bridge]
Crumpled paper in my wallet
A recipe, that's what she called it
Sourdough and a little salt
Finding beauty in a fault
Blue ink fading on the line
Telling me I'd be fine
[Verse]
The forge was glowing red
"Eat something," she said
Handed me that recipe card
When the winter hit hard
No words needed to be spoke
Through the charcoal and smoke
Just a kindness so deep
A promise I'd keep
[Chorus]
Chipped horseshoes and red dust
In a soul I can trust
She saw through the grime
In a hard-scrabble time
A widow’s quiet hand
Across the dry land
I still feel the grace
Of that holy place
[Post-Chorus]
Ten years of long miles
And a thousand more smiles
West Texas at dusk
Sweet cedar and musk
[Outro]