Six Acres and a Handshake

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[Verse 1] There’s an old man down the road from me, Got a little farm and a maple tree, There’s a flag above his weathered barn, And he takes it down when the storms roll on. He don’t talk much about the state of things, But he knows what freedom and hard work mean, He’ll lend a hand when a neighbor calls, And he’ll speak his mind when the big house falls. [Verse 2] He said, “Son, this land ain’t yours to own, It’s just your turn to keep it home. You can’t love the farm and let the fields go dry, Then blame the rain when the crops don’t rise. And a man ain’t loyal because he never complains, Or calls every drought a season of rain. If the fence falls down, you don’t praise the wire, You pick up a hammer and rebuild what’s tired.” [Chorus] You can wave that flag from a limousine, You can sing those songs on a television screen, But patriotism ain’t a thing you wear, It’s the work you do when nobody’s there. It’s the hands that build, it’s the truth you tell, It’s standing your ground when the crops don’t sell. You don’t prove your love by saying what you are, You tend the land beneath that flag above the barn. [Verse 3] Now the men from town came selling him a plan, Said they’d run the farm better than the farmer can. They’d move the fences, they’d sell the grain, And promise him sunshine in exchange for the rain. But the old man smiled, said, “I’ve seen this before, A fancy new sign on a broken old door. You can change the name, you can repaint the wall, But it ain’t much of a farm if the farmer ain’t called.” [Final Chorus] You can wave that flag from a limousine, You can sing those songs on a television screen, But patriotism ain’t a thing you wear, It’s the work you do when nobody’s there. It’s the hands that build, it’s the truth you tell, It’s keeping your word when the whole world sells. You don’t prove your love by saying what you are, You tend the land beneath that flag above the barn. [Outro: Soft steel guitar] And when that old man finally lays his tools down, May the next generation keep that good ground. For the greatest love a man can leave behind, Is a better piece of land for the next in line.