Tom T Hall - Whittler lyrics

rate me

(Tom T. Hall)

At an old country store on the outskirts of town

He sat on the porch with his feet on the ground

With a stick of red cedar and a sharp Barlow's knife

He whittled and talked of a whittler's life.

He said when you whittle you don't make a thing

A whittle can't dance and a whittle can't sing

A whittle don't hurt and a whittle don't help

A whittle ain't nothin' but whittlin' itself.

One whittle's a whitt and two whitts a whittle

It's the same on both ends as it is in the middle

The same to the wood as it is to the knife

A whittle's a riddle it's a little like life.

Well, a whittle don't care about heaven or hell

Don't care how it looks and don't care how it smells

It's a thing you can't do if you think it's a thing

It's the end of a circle and the start of a ring.

Well he sits there and whittles and the shavins' pile up

Back to the earth and then back to the dust

He said what have I done if I've whittled all day

Time would have whittled itself anyway.

One whittle's a whitt and two whitts a whittle

It's the same on both ends as it is in the middle

The same to the wood as it is to the knife

A whittle's a riddle it's a little like life.

He said here watch me whittle and he whittled a whitt

He reared back and laughed and leaned over and spit

He said let me say one more thing fore you go

I don't even know what it is I don't know.

One whittle's a whitt and two whitts a whittle

It's the same on both ends as it is in the middle

The same to the wood as it is to the knife

A whittle's a riddle it's a little like life...