Mean (M 10) - Conrad Mortiss
Yeah, she calls me mean
But I call it Monday,
and Tuesday
And every day that ends in week
My wife says I'm so mean, but she don't know the half I've seen
I rise with the sun, the rooster's late, coffee's cold or burnt
But that's my fate
Lunch made late, work till dusk with an aching back, hammer in hand, trying to tow that line
Grind all day to make ends meet and to pay for everything
She tells me I don't smile, I do, but it takes a while
She calls me mean but I'm still here, breaking my back year after year
I don't complain, I just get by, calloused hands and bloodshot eyes
I don't tolerate smoke with no fire, I walk a fine line through mud and wire
Yeah, she calls me mean, but I do care, 'cause I'm still here and that's fair
Every other would be gone by now and she should know
She got no time for me, but plenty for everyone else, that's just my fate
She says you never smile no more, well honey my face is sore
You try hauling lumber in 90 degrees or 10 below, you'll be frowning too just like me
The bills pile up, the truck won't start, but I still show up with this stubborn heart
She calls me mean but I'm still here, sweating through summer, freezing through the winter
Every year I don't complain, I just get by, calloused hands and bloodshot eyes
Lack of sleep and no break, I don't tolerate smoke with no fire
I don't tolerate smoke with no fire, I walk a fine line through mud and wire
Yeah, she calls me mean, but I don't care, 'cause I'm still here and that's rare
Every other would be gone by now and she should know
She got no time for me, but plenty for everyone else, that's just my fate
Now I ain't no saint but I ain't no fool, I fix the fence and pump the fuel
She says I'm cold but baby please, that's just the wind blowing through my jeans
She says I'm gruff, I'm rough, I'm tough, but soft ain't never paid enough
I ain't the poet with flowers and rhyme, but I pay the bills right on time
So let her fuss, I'll crack a grin, she loves this mean man deep within, perhaps
She calls me mean but I'm still here, been working hard for 20 years
I don't complain, I just get by, calloused hands and bloodshot eyes
I don't tolerate smoke with no fire, I walk a fine line, boots in the briar
Yeah, she calls me mean, but I don't care, 'cause I'm still here and that's fair
Every other would be gone by now and she should know
She got no time for me, but plenty for everyone else, that's just my fate
Now she says I grunt more than I speak, well talking don't fix leaks
The more you talk, the less you say, I show my love in nuts and bolts and fill her tank before it jolts
I'm gruff, I'm rough, but deep inside, that woman's still my favorite ride
I ain't got charm, I ain't got flair, but I'll build her porch and rocking chair
If that's mean, then so be it dear, 'cause I'm still here year after year
She calls me mean but I'm still here, drinking cold beer, scratching my ear
I don't complain, I just get by, calloused hands and bloodshot eyes
I don't tolerate smoke with no fire, I walk a fine line through life's barbed wire
Yeah, she calls me mean, but I do care, 'cause I'm still here and that's rare
Love her I do, till death do us part, like I said in church on that faithful day back yonder way
And on another year
Yeah, she calls me mean
But she knows what she's got
Mean's just my way of saying I love you kind of
And as long as she keeps cooking
I'll keep staying mean
For I'm better at that too
What a
