Damn Good Dam

Old man Beaver got a hard hat on

Little orange vest and a coffee can

Chewin' on a stick like a cheap cigar

Says, "We clock in when we hit that sand"

Mama got mud on her faded sundress

Three kits draggin' sticks in a rusted sled

Plot lines drawn in the riverbank dust

"Someday kids, we'll raise our heads"

We're buildin' one damn good dam

Stick by stick, hand over hand

Brown water runnin', but we're holdin' stand

Call it sweat, call it stubborn, call it beaver land

Yeah, we ain't much for movin' on

We just stack and pray it holds strong

If you're lookin' for a place to give a damn

We're livin' in a damn good dam

Cousin Buck chews through a cottonwood trunk

Logs fall hard with a thunk and a cheer

Uncle Dale's patchin' up the low-side leaks

Sayin', "Water gonna rise, don't you live in fear"

Grandma on the bank with a fishing line

Humming little hymns 'bout the flood back then

"River took half, left half to try

So we'll bite it, drag it, start again"

We're buildin' one damn good dam

Stick by stick, hand over hand

Brown water runnin', but we're holdin' stand

Call it sweat, call it stubborn, call it beaver land

Yeah, we ain't much for movin' on

We just stack and pray it holds strong

If you're lookin' for a place to give a damn

We're livin' in a damn good dam

Storm rolls in, that blackbelt sky

Logs start shakin', kids ask "Why?"

Old man grins, wipes mud from his chin

Says, "This is where the real work begins" (hey!)

"If it breaks, we build it back

Double the sticks in the same old track

Home ain't luck, it's teeth and time

And a little bit of cussed-up pride"

We're buildin' one damn good dam

Stick by stick, hand over hand

Brown water runnin', but we're holdin' stand

Call it sweat, call it stubborn, call it beaver land

Yeah, we ain't much for movin' on