Dovetail

[Verse 1]
The ten-penny nail you left on my workbench
Still sits by the shellac from that last Tuesday in March.
You traced the burl in that slab of white oak
Like it held some secret mark.
Your palm was cool on the unfinished wood.

[Pre-Chorus]
And I should have been measuring, I should have been cutting straight
But all my plumb lines went crooked with the beautiful weight
Of your breath in the dust motes, your hip against the sawhorse frame
I forgot my own damn name…

[Chorus]
We could have been a dovetail joint
Cut so clean we'd never pull apart.
Just a perfect point-to-point
But some woods have a contrary heart.

[Verse 2]
I remember the heat from the belt sander on my face
When you leaned in close, put my thumb in its place.
You said, "Look how the grain runs, straight and true,"
"You can't ever force a thing that isn't inside of you."

[Pre-Chorus]
And I should have been measuring, I should have been cutting straight
But all my plumb lines went crooked with the beautiful weight
Of your breath in the dust motes, your hip against the sawhorse frame
I forgot my own damn name…

[Chorus]
We could have been a dovetail joint
Cut so clean we'd never pull apart.
Just a perfect point-to-point
But some woods have a contrary heart.

[Bridge]
I built that table, I delivered it that fall.
Heard you left it on the curb down on South Main Hall.
Guess the wood was warped from the start.

[Chorus]
We could have been a dovetail joint
Cut so clean we'd never pull apart.
Just a perfect point-to-point…
But your wood had a contrary heart.

[Outro]
Sanding this down to the bone.
Writing you a letter you'll never hold.