Prompt / Lyrics
[Verse 1] Sun comes up on an empty bottle Black coffee in a shaking hand Same boots, same dirt, same hollow promise “I’ll be a better man” I lay fence posts like I’m nailing coffins Every swing a name I can’t forget Sweat runs down, turns the dust to streaks Like a ledger I ain’t balanced yet [Chorus] So I work, work, work these hands to bone Trying to outrun what my shadow’s done If there’s fire waiting when my time ends Maybe I can burn it off Working away my sins (working away my sins) [Verse 2] There’s a woman I left standing in a doorway Dress caught up in the porch light wind Her eyes said “stay” but my pride said “later” Later never came again Now I haul these bales like bags of memories Every lift a lie I told back then If the good Lord’s counting, I pray He’s watching Every blister, every bend [Chorus] So I work, work, work these hands to bone Trying to outrun what my shadow’s done If there’s fire waiting when my time ends Maybe I can burn it off Working away my sins (oh, working away my sins) [Bridge] I don’t ask for mercy I don’t ask for peace Just one more mile of hard dry ground Between me and what I used to be [Chorus] So I work, work, work these hands to bone Trying to outrun what my shadow’s done If there’s fire waiting when my time ends Maybe I can burn it off Lord, let me burn it off Working away my sins (working away my sins)
Tags
country, Smoky dark country ballad, male vocals. Dusty baritone over slow, swung drums and haunted twang guitar, upright bass pulsing under a minor-key fiddle. Verses stay sparse and close-mic’d; chorus swells with low harmonies and a ghostly organ pad. Subtle slide guitar cries between lines, final chorus drops to near-whisper then swells for one last, gritty refrain.
Duration
3:39
Instrumental
No
Created
2/4/2026