song lyrics
[Verse 1]
I grew up with the smell of sawdust
Hanging heavy in the air
Daddy’s tools around him
Scattered around everywhere
He taught me the father’s lessons of mending the broken
And how to rebuild it strong to last
But more than all of the mending,
He taught me to honor our past and our memories
[Chorus]
When I open my daddy’s toolbox
He’s back with me again,
holding that hammer with the rusty head,
the handle worn and bent.
Every board I cut and measure,
wood sanded smooth as can be,
When I open my daddy’s toolbox,
I can feel him next to me.
[Verse 2]
I’d like to think I passed it on,
to children of my own,
Though they’ve built their separate lives
And families and homes.
Now I’m teaching my grandbaby
How to measure, saw and glue,
and I hear my daddy’s wisdom
In all the things we do—our country song of tools and love.
[Chorus]
When I open my daddy’s toolbox
He’s back with me again,
holding that hammer with the rusty head,
the handle worn and bent.
Every board I cut and measure,
wood sanded smooth as can be,
When I open my daddy’s toolbox,
I can feel him next to me.
[Verse 3]
My daddy never knew the pleasure
His wisdom and simple lessons gave,
and how the craft he handed down
Would live far beyond his days.
When they open my daddy’s toolbox,
Maybe I’ll come back again,
in that hammer with the rusty head,
Passed down from hand to hand.
[Bridge]
Someday these hands will rest,
And these tools will pass along,
But the love in our work
Can outlive the hands that’re gone.
[Final Chorus]
Every board they cut and measure,
Every nail they drive into place,
When they open my daddy’s toolbox,
they’ll see more than just my face.
They’ll know he's standing right there beside me
And the things our hands once made,
while inside my daddy’s toolbox,
our love and memories still remain.
and maybe your toolbox
is different than mine,
just remember to pass along
the tools you love,
so they live beyond your time.
