Lyrics

I ain't from Texas, but I made my way from Dallas And I know the lonesome sound is following I ain't a gambler, but I can recognize a hand And when to hold, when the queens are staring back at me Once I was a carpenter and man my hands were calloused I could swing a metal mallet sure and straight But I took to the highway, a poet young and hungry And I left the timbers rotting where they lay Forever I will move like the world that turns beneath me And when I lose my direction I'll look up to the sky And when the black cloak drags upon the ground I'll be ready to surrender, and remember Well we're all in this together If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die I don't come from Detroit, but her diesel motors pull me And I followed 'til I finally lost my way And now I spend my days in search of a woman we call purpose And if I ever pass back through her town I'll stay Forever I will move like the world that turns beneath me And when I lose my direction I'll look up to the sky And when the black dress drags upon the ground I'll be ready to surrender, and remember We're all in this together If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die And my life is but a coin, pulled from an empty pocket Dropped into a slot with dreams of sevens close behind Hope and fear go with it, and the moon and the sun go spinning Like the numbers and fruits before our eyes Sometimes I hit, sometimes it robs me blind Sometimes I hit, sometimes it robs me blind Forever I will move like the world that turns beneath me And when I lose my direction I'll look up to the sky And when the black cloak drags upon the ground I'll be ready to surrender, and remember Well we're all in this together If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die

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Tim Mossberger made a note.
4 years ago

The Once and Future Carpenter Commentary 

https://youtu.be/59CfoYYcPAk

Larry Wright made a note.
4 years ago
In December of 2011 I was unemployed and depressed.  My wonderful wife scraped together enough money for us to travel to our first Avett Brothers NYE show.  The line from this song, "If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die" changed my life.  It woke me up and restarted my career and life.  We haven't missed an NYE show since.
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