Lyrics
(Verse 1) I can still feel that July chaff itching down my shirt
The smell of diesel smoke and sun-baked dirt
We were tossing squares until our lungs felt tight
Chasing the shadow of the barn to beat the light
Then sitting on the tailgate, thumbs under the silk
Shucking dozen after dozen for the butter and the milk
Just a couple of kids with calloused-up hands
Doing the work of grown-up men on a few acres of land.
(Chorus)
It was the sweat on our necks and the mud on our shins
Counting our luck by the size of our wins
From the heavy lift of hay to the cool limestone bed
With a world of wild ideas spinning round in my head
Yeah, we worked for the keep, but we lived for the run
Me and my brother under that midday sun.
(Verse 2) When the chores were finally buried, we’d head for the shade
To the secret little world where the creek bed stayed
I can see you now, tipping a mossy flat stone
Looking for a Copperhead to call our own
You’d grab for the tail and I’d let out a yell
Testing our nerves in that damp, earthy smell
Then a look turned to a shove, and the shove turned to a fight
Wrestling in the shallows till the world felt right.
(Verse 3) Now the barn’s looking smaller and the creek’s running thin
And I don’t see the mischief that we used to live in
But sometimes a scent on a hot afternoon
Like a freshly cut field or a storm coming soon
Brings back the weight of you pinned to my chest
The way we would scrap just to see who was best
We’ve grown into men with our own lives to lead
But we’re still those two boys from the same wild breed.
(Bridge)
We were tangled limbs and grass-stained knees
Getting choked out beneath the willow trees
I’d have you in a headlock, you’d be laughing through the grit
Too stubborn to lose and too proud to quit
It wasn't about the anger or who was more tough
It was just our way of saying that we loved the rough stuff.
(Chorus)
It was the sweat on our necks and the mud on our shins
Counting our luck by the size of our wins
From the heavy lift of hay to the cool limestone bed
With a world of wild ideas spinning round in my head
Yeah, we worked for the keep, but we lived for the run
Me and my brother under that midday sun.
(Outro)
Now the hay is all stacked and the corn is all dry
And the snakes are still hiding where the water runs by
But I’d give anything for one more scrap in the mud
With the same wild spirit and the same thick blood.
Yeah, just you and me.
Same thick blood.