The Counting Man

[Verse 1]
The Crane men always lead with their left hand,
A Shenandoah temper, quick as a flash flood stand.
Some call it a curse from a bloodline gone wrong,
I call it keeping my guard up all night long.
This house is a ring since last October's weigh-in,
And I'm the only fighter left to stay in.

[Chorus]
(Sung by a different, gritty male voice)
You don't learn to pray, you just learn the timing.
You don't duck the blow, you just learn the climbing.

[Verse 2]
The man at the hardware on South Loudoun Street,
Said Caleb's name, soft and bitter-sweet.
The air in that store smelled of rust and cold doubt,
I heard Mama whisper, "Don't you let that thing out."
My knuckles went white on a can of wood stain,
Felt that old familiar sting of acid rain.

[Chorus]
(Sung by a different, gritty male voice)
You don't learn to pray, you just learn the timing.
You don't duck the blow, you just learn the climbing.

[Bridge]
I shadowbox his ghost in the kitchen at midnight,
Tryin' to find the angle, tryin' to make the memory right.
But what if I'm the one who's always telegraphing the punch?
What if this whole damn time, I've had a real bad hunch?

[Outro]
The referee's gone.
The bell ain't ever coming.