The Carpenter
By John Conlee
Written By Guy Clark


       Em                           D 
Let us now praise a carpenter & the things that he made
        C                        D 
And the way that he lived by the tools of his trade 
      Em                            D
I can still hear his hammer singin' ten penny time
C                            D
Workin' by the hour till the day he died


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


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 workin' in a shipyard
Mansions on the hill and a birdhouse in the backyard

Chorus

He said anything that's worth cuttin' down a tree for
Is worth doin' right, don't the Lord love a two by four
If you ask him how to do somethin', he'll say just like Noah built the ark.
You got to hold your mouth right son and never miss your mark.

Chorus