Hard Times Howl

There's a crack in the window, cold cuts like a knife

Floorboards moan like they're tired of life

Fridge hums low, but the shelves are bare

Still I lace up these boots, 'cause quittin' ain't there

Coal smoke hangin' like a ghost in the air

Shirt's worn thin but I still wear it with care

They say hard work pays, but I ain't seen the proof

Just broken backs and busted roofs

Yeah, hard times howl like a dog in the street

Gnawin' at your pride, tryin' to drag you to defeat

But I don't crawl, and I don't beg

I stand my ground with a stomp and a leg

Kids got dreams bigger than my pay

But I teach 'em to fight, not to run away

We don't eat steak, but we season the bone

And we sing like kings when the lights are gone

Hard times howl, but I howl back

With a voice full of fire and a spine that won't crack

You can bruise this flesh, you can starve my plate

But I walk with the blues, and I carry my weight

Ain't no shame in a poor man's song

It's built from the truth we've known all along

Blood in the strings, soul in the dirt

We turn our pain into power, and wear the hurt

Let the hard times howl, let the winds get rough

I was born with nothin', and that made me tough

Ain't no silver, but I still shine

With a six-string roar and a workman's spine