Equal Strain on All Parts
It's a solid thing to wish for
All those little things that my grandfather said
Not so little now, here in my grown-up head
I didn't always see the wisdom at the time
But I'm older now
Right after lunch and a Cafe Royale, he'd take his combat nap
And slip away to God knows where, beneath his weathered cap
And doze off with that parlance I came to understand
Equal strain on all parts
Son, whatever course you set
It'll ease the pain on backs and brains and hearts
It's a solid thing to wish for
It's the wrong thing to forget
Lyin' in this hammock now
It sure feels good to get
An equal strain on all parts
It works on land, works at sea, for creatures big and small
Cooling down our cylinders, living's a long haul
Jokes and songs and travelin'
They lift the fog
Words from a Newfie cabin boy still steer me near and far
And I'll pass them on in poems and songs before I cross the bar
It's worth a little time and space to understand.
