Fixing the Swing

[Chorus] July sun through the oak leaves bright Painting shadows on the ground Ants march on a crumbly line Another summer's turning 'round This old swing set, I'm fixing it now With sandpaper rough and worn Smell of sawdust on my brow Since the day that I was born [Verse] Rust on the chains, a tale of years Like the buzz of summer heat This creaking sound, it pulls me through To a memory, sharp and neat Twelve years old, and she was there My neighbor girl, with hair of gold We'd race up high into the air A story waiting to unfold [Pre-Chorus] Who could swing the highest height? Chasing clouds with all our might First to taste the melon's bite Cool and sweet in fading light Now the clock on the wall has stopped And the clothesline sways with faded grace Every snapshot carefully cropped Leaves a silence in this place [Chorus] July sun through the oak leaves bright Painting shadows on the ground Ants march on a crumbly line Another summer's turning 'round This old swing set, I'm fixing it now With sandpaper rough and worn Smell of sawdust on my brow Since the day that I was born [Verse] My palms feel rough, the splinters deep From the wood I sand with care Secrets that the years do keep Whispered on the summer air I can almost hear the chime Of an ice cream truck afar Lost in this forgotten time Beneath a fading, distant star [Bridge] This metal frame, it groans and sighs A symphony of passing years Beneath these warm and watchful skies It holds my laughter and my tears A simple task, a quiet plea To mend what time has pulled apart For her, for childhood me And this old swing within my heart [Chorus] July sun through the oak leaves bright Painting shadows on the ground Ants march on a crumbly line Another summer's turning 'round This old swing set, I'm fixing it now With sandpaper rough and worn Smell of sawdust on my brow Since the day that I was born