The Soul Jazz Era - Crane and Chain

No pretending bad is good.
The ship don't lie about its hold,
And dawn don't care what I've been told.
Out here, the work just speaks my name: crane and chain,
Crane and chain.
I tried the lie they said was right,
Shook hands and smiled and played polite,
But every word felt like a debt.
Out here,
I pay what I can get; this is the truest thing I know: the pull,
The lift, the swing, the load.
My hands on rope, my feet on wood,