The Hands of a Quiet Man

[Intro]
[Verse]
Rusted hay hooks on the beam
Sunlight cuts a dusty stream
Found a box beneath the floor
By the heavy sliding door
Feed sacks bleached by summer heat
Lying empty at my feet
Shadows dancing on the wall
Where the timber’s standing tall
[Chorus]
It’s a dented silver shell
With a story left to tell
That second hand is frozen fast
A heavy shadow from the past
He never said the words out loud
But he kept us safe and proud
Just steady care in every gear
To keep the wolves away from here
[Post-Chorus]
Those steady hands
His quiet plans
In the ticking of the years
In the drying of the tears
[Verse]
He worked until his back was bent
Every ounce of life was spent
No grand gestures in the light
Just a candle in the night
Grease and soil beneath his nails
Weathering the winter gales
Left a legacy in dust
Built on sweat and iron trust
[Chorus]
It’s a dented silver shell
With a story left to tell
That second hand is frozen fast
A heavy shadow from the past
He never said the words out loud
But he kept us safe and proud
Just steady care in every gear
To keep the wolves away from here
[Solo]
[Bridge]
I thought the silence was a wall
Waiting for the rain to fall
But looking at this broken face
I see the mercy and the grace
Every hour, every day
He loved us in his own way
[Verse]
I rub the grease from off the glass
Watching all the seasons pass
I wind the stem and hear a click
A ghost begins to do the trick
A tiny pulse against my palm
A sudden sense of holy calm
Found his heart inside a case
Reflected on my own face
[Chorus]
It’s a dented silver shell
With a story left to tell
That second hand is frozen fast
A heavy shadow from the past
He never said the words out loud
But he kept us safe and proud
Just steady care in every gear
To keep the wolves away from here
[Outro]