This Side of the Causeway

[Verse 1]
We were kids under the Cochrane Bridge, breathing rust and refinery steam
Patching our jeans with whatever we had, living on a hand-me-down dream
Our folks were a tangle of second tries, a frayed and knotted spool
We learned to mend a family promise by the shipyard swimming pool

[Chorus]
Yeah, we're building a house on this cracked clay ground
Darning the seams 'til the sun goes down
We ain't the story of the ones who drowned
This side of the causeway

[Verse 2]
That summer of the hurricane scare, the air went hot and still
You looked at the boards on our window frame, splintered on the sill
You said, "This time, we'll patch it right, we'll measure twice and cut"
I just nodded, held the hammer tight, and kept my own mouth shut

[Chorus]
Yeah, we're building a church on this cracked clay ground
Singing the hymns 'til the sun goes down
We ain't the ghosts of this shipyard town
This side of the causeway

[Bridge]
Mama taught me how to hide a tear inside a perfect fold
But your daddy's temper is a Gulf storm story that never does get old
And we both carry that needle's weight, that familiar, piercing dread

[Chorus]
So we're building a home on this cracked clay ground
Pouring the whiskey 'til the sun goes down
We're the stubborn roots in this worn-out town
This side of the causeway

[Outro]
Mending the stitches, one by one
This side of the causeway