The Carpenter by Guy Clark Lyrics

Let us now praise a carpenter and the things that he made
And the way that he lived by the tools of the trade
I can still hear his hammer singing ten penny time
Working by the hour till the day that he died

Ah he was tough as a crowbar, he was quick as a chisel
Fair as a plane, Lord, and true as a level
He was straight as a chalkline, he was right as a rule
He was square with the world, he took good care of his tools

Lord, he worked his hands in wood from the crib to the coffin
With a care and a love you don't see too often
He built boats out of wood, big boats, working in a shipyard
Mansions on the hill and a birdhouse in the backyard

He was tough as a crowbar, he was quick as a chisel
Fair as a plane, Lord, and true as a level
He was straight as a chalkline, he was right as a rule
He was square with the world, he took good care of his tools

He said anything that's worth cuttin' down a tree for
Is worth doin' it right, don't the Lord love a two-by-four?
Well they asked him how to do some, he'd say just like Noah built the ark
You got to hold your mouth right, son, and never miss your mark
He was tough as a crowbar, he was quick as a chisel
Fair as a plane, Lord, and true as a level
He was straight as a chalkline, he was right as a rule
He was square with the world, he took good care of his tools