Tough as Nails by Craig Gerdes Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Storm clouds rollin' in
There's bad news in the wind
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Around here
Folks in these parts ain't living the American Dream
This ain't the same town my daddy grew up in
Back in nineteen-sixty-three
[Verse 2]
Steel plant shut down
Pretty much everything else did too
And they boarded up the windows in that old building
Where I went to high school
And there ain't no church to go and pray to the Lord
But it ain't like it's the first time
This has happened round here before
[Chorus]
So when the hard times come callin'
And your back's against the wall
You got thirty seven dollars to your name
And the hammer's about to fall
You can't be too soft
Or you'll end up just that penny on the railroad rail
Now this ain't no town for a tender heart
You better be tough as nails
[Verse 3]
Little brother made it out of this place
The day he turned eighteen
They shipped him off to Afghanistan
To fight for the land of the free
Just like the fight around here
The fight don't always end up like you planned
And he died with his boots on
And a pistol in his hands
[Chorus]
So when the hard times come callin'
And your back's against the wall
You got thirty seven dollars to your name
And the hammer's about to fall
You can't be too soft
Or you'll end up just like penny on a railroad rail
Now this ain't no town for a tender heart
You better be tough as nails
[Outro]
You better be tough as nails
You better be tough as nails
You better be tough as nails
Storm clouds rollin' in
There's bad news in the wind
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Around here
Folks in these parts ain't living the American Dream
This ain't the same town my daddy grew up in
Back in nineteen-sixty-three
[Verse 2]
Steel plant shut down
Pretty much everything else did too
And they boarded up the windows in that old building
Where I went to high school
And there ain't no church to go and pray to the Lord
But it ain't like it's the first time
This has happened round here before
[Chorus]
So when the hard times come callin'
And your back's against the wall
You got thirty seven dollars to your name
And the hammer's about to fall
You can't be too soft
Or you'll end up just that penny on the railroad rail
Now this ain't no town for a tender heart
You better be tough as nails
[Verse 3]
Little brother made it out of this place
The day he turned eighteen
They shipped him off to Afghanistan
To fight for the land of the free
Just like the fight around here
The fight don't always end up like you planned
And he died with his boots on
And a pistol in his hands
[Chorus]
So when the hard times come callin'
And your back's against the wall
You got thirty seven dollars to your name
And the hammer's about to fall
You can't be too soft
Or you'll end up just like penny on a railroad rail
Now this ain't no town for a tender heart
You better be tough as nails
[Outro]
You better be tough as nails
You better be tough as nails
You better be tough as nails