The Cedar and the Chain

[Intro]
[Verse]
Toolbox on the step
A promise that I kept
Mrs. Gable brings the jar
Sweet tea from a mason star
Sunlight hits the floor
By the screen-door hinge once more
[Verse]
The cedar’s turning grey
Faded by the day
She tells me how he stood
Working with the local wood
Forty years of weight
Hanging by a rusted gate
[Chorus]
Let it sway
Wash the dust away
Back and forth like old times
In the rhythm of the rhymes
A little oil and a steady hand
Best view in all the land
We’re just keeping memories alive
Helping a lonely heart survive
[Verse]
I sand the splinters down
Quiet side of town
She talks about the dance
Their high school summer romance
He built this frame in June
Underneath a harvest moon
[Pre-Chorus]
Time is such a heavy veil
When the iron starts to fail
But a neighbor’s help is free
That’s how it’s gotta be
[Chorus]
Let it sway
Wash the dust away
Back and forth like old times
In the rhythm of the rhymes
A little oil and a steady hand
Best view in all the land
We’re just keeping memories alive
Helping a lonely heart survive
[Bridge]
Steel can snap and wood can break
But love is what we make
In the silence of the yard
When the living gets too hard
I just turn the final screw
Thinking of a life so true
[Verse]
I tighten up the bolt
Give the seat a little jolt
She sits and closes her eyes
Underneath the amber skies
She says “He’d thank you son”
Now the work is finally done
She finds her peace again
In the cedar and the chain
[Chorus]
Let it sway
Wash the dust away
Back and forth like old times
In the rhythm of the rhymes
A little oil and a steady hand
Best view in all the land
We’re just keeping memories alive
Helping a lonely heart survive
[Post-Chorus]
Let it sway
In the golden light of day
Helping a heart survive
Keeping the ghost alive
[Outro]