Hard Hat Framing

[Verse 1 - quiet, almost spoken] Rain-soaked wood on the Midway stacks, Blueprints smeared and spine gone slack. I showed up cracked from the week before, Heart still stuck in a closing door. They tossed me gloves, said "grab a rail," Didn't ask the why or scale. Just held the beam till my hands caught weight - Sometimes love shows up too late. [Pre-Chorus - soft, rising] Nobody asked me if I'm fine, They just made room on their broken line. [Chorus] Hard hat framing - we hold what shakes, Patch the stress in all our breaks. We don't fix hearts, we brace the load, Shared the hurt in the pressure code. Hard hat framing - no one falls, We keep each other in the walls. If I stand now, it's not alone - We built this frame, we made it home. [Verse 2 - louder] Paint-stained jeans, late April wind, Someone curses as the screws bend in. We eat cold fries on plywood floors, Laugh like we've survived ten wars. Nobody here is fully patched, We're splintered minds with plans attached. But every clamp, every lifted beam, Feels like we're fixing more than the theme. [Pre-Chorus] It wasn't therapy or talk, It was passing drills on the midnight walk. [Chorus] Hard hat framing - we hold what shakes, Patch the stress in all our breaks. We don't fix hearts, we brace the load, Shared the hurt in the pressure code. Hard hat framing - no one falls, We keep each other in the walls. If I stand now, it's not alone - We built this frame, we made it home. [Bridge] (We) mark the cut lines, measure twice, (We) trade the splinters for advice, (We) laugh so loud the campus hears, (We) hold the weight of someone's fears. No ribbon cut, no Dean backstage - Just bruised hands turning a page. [Final Chorus - group chant] Hard hat framing - we stayed upright, Held the beams through sleepless night. Didn't need plans to understand, I found my rhythm in your hands. Hard hat framing - if I don't break, It's cause you taught me what we make. No blueprint for the way we grew - But every board held something true. [Outro - quiet] Sawdust hair and paint-smudge eyes, Stack overflow but still it flies. If home is built, not found or shown - Then thanks for building back my own.