Hold ’Til Help Shows

* [Tow chain clinks; engine idles; shop radio crackles with old polka] * [Intro – Male Deep Baritone; slow 6/8, slide guitar murmurs] I learned torque before numbers, names before pay, Hold what’s breaking, breathe steady, make way. If the world starts shaking like a loose wheel rolls, Set the lugs one by one, count four, keep control. [Verse 1 – Male Deep Baritone; rimshot on crowbar] Grew up three blocks from the line going dark, Still hear hoists sigh in the bones of the park. Letters ran laps on the page, so I chose Grease, rope, crib blocks, and steel-toed toes. When the jack stand failed, I didn’t think— Caught the block, set it down, let the concrete drink. Didn’t feel strong, just felt like a brace, Like a wall that learned the shape of a face. [Pre-Chorus – Male Deep Baritone; heartbeat kick] I’m not the spark, I’m the ground, I’m the quiet in the middle of the sound. When the shouting says “fight,” I say “no,” Feet square, back bowed, let the river flow. [Chorus – Group Chorus with Male Deep Baritone; big open chords] I don’t break things, I hold ’em together ’til help shows, Make a door out of ruin, be a bridge where the wind blows. Lay it on me, I’ll carry the weight you can’t, Call me steady, call me stubborn—your human jack stand. [Verse 2 – Male Deep Baritone; tambourine like hazard flash] Strip mall glass in the throat of the night, I lifted down a gate, made a lane for the light. Someone yelled “monster,” someone whispered “saint,” All I said was “Go,” tried to be what I ain’t. Ambulance stuck on a slick, cold bend, Rope on the hitch, hauled steel like a friend. Dogs get treats, kids get shields, Bullies get boundaries they don’t cross in these fields. [Pre-Chorus – Male Deep Baritone; tighter drums] I’m not the siren, I’m the road, I’m the shoulder where the heavy things unload. If your knees want to fall, take my hand, Lean your storm on a working man. [Chorus – Group Chorus with Male Deep Baritone; fuller harmony] I don’t break things, I hold ’em together ’til help shows, Make a door out of ruin, be a bridge where the wind blows. Lay it on me, I’ll carry the weight you can’t, Call me steady, call me stubborn—your human jack stand. * [Band chokes; one-beat silence] * [Bridge – Male Deep Baritone; low drone, chain sways] Call me slow, I’ll call it sure, Set my heels, find the cure. Count to four while windows shake, Hush your fear for the breath it takes. Old songs humming in my chest like steel, Polka low under the diesel and wheel. If there’s blame to throw, throw me with it— I bend, I hold, I don’t quit it. [Breakdown – Group Chorus whispered; floor tom like distant boots] [soft] Hold… hold… hold… [crescendo] hold… [Final Chorus – Full band; gospel lift, handclaps] I don’t break things, I hold ’em together ’til help shows, Turn a stair into backbone when the crowd overflows. Lay it on me, I’ll carry the weight you can’t, Call me steady, call me stubborn—your human jack stand. I don’t break things—no, I won’t let go— ’Til I feel your pulse and the sirens own the road. Lay it on me, I’ll carry the weight you can’t, Call me steady, call me stubborn—your human jack stand. [Outro – Male Deep Baritone; instruments fade, Hammond lingers] When the lights come back and the glass is swept, Leave me nameless, paid in breaths you kept. I’ll hum my tune, wash the grit from my hands, Be the quiet you forget… and the one who still stands. * [Tow winch winds down; shop radio clicks off] *