Residual Risk Rodeo
Bluegrass soul-gospel about the controls people improvise for grief, fatigue, and the parts of a shift that no hard hat can cover.
Creative context: The narrator is a creative voice, not automatically the artist. This song is not presented as verified reporting or a factual allegation about any particular person or employer.
Track player
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Words & signal
[Verse 1]
Got safety glasses for hindsight
When the old things glare
Ear protection for bad advice
Floating through the air
A hard hat for the worry
That keeps tapping on my door
And a vest for stubborn silence
I’ve worn a hundred times before
[Verse 2]
I seen folks order courage
Like a new pair off the shelf
Then send one poor soul home with it
And tell him, “carry yourself”
But a harness made for one back
Won’t hold twenty years of strain
And “I’m fine” can sound like weather
When you say it in the rain
[Pre-Chorus]
Coffee on the scarred workbench
Winter dark before we’re done
Borrowed gloves, an empty chair
Pulled in for everyone
Somebody slides over quietly
Makes a little more room
That’s how a house stays standing
That’s how we get through
[Chorus]
You can guard your eyes and cover your ears
But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years
You can guard your eyes and cover your ears
But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years
So pass that cup, and pass that chair
Pass the time, and pull me near
You can guard your eyes and cover your ears
But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years
[Verse 3]
Rest is not a failing
It’s a tool in decent hands
Friendship is a kind of footing
That helps a body stand
Listening beats a lecture
When the floor starts giving way
And fair work is a blessing
More than any words we say
[Verse 4]
Don’t tell me to be tougher
When the load is set too high
Fix the list, fix the schedule
Let the whole team get by
If you want somebody stronger
Start by lightening the chain
A person ain’t a machine part
Put together to endure the strain
[Bridge]
So if you’re tired, say you’re tired
If you’re bent, let us know
We can split the lift between us
We can move it slow
No promise to cure the winter
No halo, no big scene
Just a hand on the timber
And a few more hands between
[Chorus]
You can guard your eyes and cover your ears
But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years
You can guard your eyes and cover your ears
But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years
So pass that cup, and pass that chair
Pass the time, and pull me near
You can guard your eyes and cover your ears
But there’s no single harness for a load of twenty years
[Outro]
We’ll take the weight together
Bit by bit, line by line
One more chair, one more hand now
That’s a better kind of fine