Rust

Rust don't beg forgiveness

Doesn't hide in chrome

It shows you where the rain hit

And where the years went home

You can paint over the damage

You can polish up the lie

But time keeps good receipts, son

And rust don't testify

Hands like old equipment

Still know how to work

Every scar a lesson

Every lesson hurt

I've seen men stay shiny

Till the truth came due

Whole lotta mirror talk

But nothing makin' true

Rust is honest

Ain't pretty, ain't kind

Tells you what's been weathered

And what's been left behind

You can fake perfection

You can bluff your trust

But the things that last in this world

Eventually show some rust

Guitars with worn-out edges

Trucks that still pull strong

Love that's bent but holding

After everything went wrong

I don't mind the quiet

I don't fear the dust

If it's still standing after all that time

It's earned what it's become

Rust is honest

Cuts through every gloss

Shows you what stayed solid

When the shine was lost

You can keep your new and flawless

I'll take what I trust

If it's lived a little life like me

It's gonna carry rust

Some things rot from the inside

Some just age in the sun

One breaks the first hard season

One keeps getting it done

Rust is honest

Never claims it's clean

Just stands there tellin' stories

About where it's been

I ain't tryin' to be spotless

I ain't tryin' to be just

I'm just tryin' to be what's real

And real things rust

Yeah, real things rust.