[Verse 1] I was twenty with a borrowed coat, A rusted Ford and a half-sunk boat, That river bridge looked ten miles wide, And the whole damn county said, “Stay this side.” You set your lunch pail down by mine, Said, “Hard things bend with enough time.” We took that first plank, then one more, Till morning found us on the far shore. [Chorus] What looks impossible at the start Can yield to a steady hand and a stubborn heart. Keep your word when the hard days call, Love this life, love her through it all. Step by step, through the wind and rain, You’ll find a road where you saw no lane. I’ve lived long enough to know this is true: The mountain moves when you see it through. [Verse 2] Now my hands keep time with the kitchen clock, Your blue cup sits by the old pine block. The orchard froze in the spring of ’62, We saved three trees and the house came through. I buried friends, I watched kids grow, I learned what a man can’t buy or owe. You still laugh when I miss a stair; I still thank the Lord that you’re there. [Fast Rap] First light, boots tied, frost on the wire, Fence line down and the north wind higher, No big speech, no borrowed name, Just show up, shoulder in, do it again. One nail bent, so I straightened two, One gate swung wide, so I pulled it through, One long winter, one small seed, One kind word when a neighbor’s in need. You don’t win by pretending it’s easy, You win by staying when the road gets greasy, By keeping your promise when nobody sees, By giving your best with your hands on your knees. And if that old hill says, “You can’t get past,” Take one good breath, make the next step last, Then another, then another, till the doubt lets go— A little grit makes a mighty thing grow. [Chorus] What looks impossible at the start Can yield to a steady hand and a stubborn heart. Keep your word when the hard days call, Love this life, love her through it all. Step by step, through the wind and rain, You’ll find a road where you saw no lane. I’ve lived long enough to know this is true: The mountain moves when you see it through. [Bridge] When my voice wears thin and my stride slows down, You’ll know the miles by the lines I’ve found. There’s honor in the work, and grace in the try; There’s love in the hand that stays close by. [Fast Rap] So tell that young heart the truth I know: You don’t need a map for the first step, just go. Keep your name clean, keep your people near, Keep a little room for wonder and cheer. The years run quick, but the good stays wide: A porch, your laugh, and you by my side. If the door looks shut, put your shoulder in— Some endings are openings waiting to begin. [Final Chorus] What looks impossible at the start Can yield to a steady hand and a stubborn heart. Keep your word when the hard days call, Love this life, love her through it all. Step by step, through the wind and rain, You’ll find a road where you saw no lane. I’ve lived long enough, and I know it’s true: The mountain moves when you see it through. [Outro] Your blue cup waits by the kitchen light, And your hand still finds my hand each night.
