Lend A Hand - Jakob Dylan

Blackbird sitting on an open gate

Cattle out walking the plains

West winds blowing the waist-high wheat

Sideways in the rain

Bloodhounds spent, get no trail

There ain’t no sign of man

Want to get ourselves on the straight and the narrow

Gonna need a better plan

Roll your sleeves, hold back the dam

Fill these bags with sand

Every young boy, woman, and every man

Has got to lend a hand

It ain’t no wives tale, it ain’t no fable

Payback is coming around

The hourglass is sitting there on the table

Filled on both sides now

The work is potluck, grab a hatchet

Wear any glove that fits

You can’t take a punch then you might as well quit

It won’t matter how hard you hit

Roll up your sleeves, shovel in hand

Rise up and learn how to stand

You’re a toothless woman or a one-armed man

You too got to lend a hand

We’re losing daylight, you’ve got to be swift

You ain’t got brains than you can lift

Be an optimist and see the glass half full

You don’t got to like what you’ve got in it When our father gets home he’s gonna turn on the lights

We’re up to our thoats in knives

His eyes will flash and his teeth will grind

He’ll say «You're on your own, look alive!»

Suppose I quit you, my wayward tribe

Whatever would you do?

Take me to Hades or take me to Memphis

Just don’t take me for one of you

Roll your sleeves up, the fat lady sang

Grab your buckets and cans

Come over the border, your papers in order

You too got to lend a hand

Roll your sleeves up, hold back the dam

Fill these bags with sand

Every young boy, woman, every tired old man

You too got to lend a hand