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My father's hands are the roughest I know
Not too young, but not too old
There's a beauty in them like no other
I love those hands

My own are small and soft, with little wear
Compared to his, they are weak
My father's hands are large and strong
Aged, but nimble for the work he does
He works hard for us, for the life we live
I love those hands

My father's hands may never seem clean
But they are the most honest I know
He has his secrets, but he has his reasons
He is reserved, the strong silent type
But he'd fight heaven and hell for us
All with those hardened hands
I love those hands

I was his first, the first cradled by those hands
They weren't as tough then, but they were strong
I grew up with those hands holding mine
I remember myself as a child, sitting on his lap
Fascinated by the deep lines of black through the tan
My own hands were so tiny compared to his
So pale and white against his hardened skin
I love those hands

My father is the strongest person I know
The hardest working, the most loving
It makes me wonder
Why has so much bad happened to him?
He's lost almost everything, all that he built up
With those tough hands of his
He's a damn good father and brother
He was a loving husband too, but she betrayed him
All because she thought she wanted more
She nearly took everything away
But she won't take me, no
Because I'm too much like him in her eyes

My father is an amazing man
Even when everything seems to be crashing down
He's like the strongest steel, the hardest rock
And his hands are his tools
He uses them to shape his future and ours
They've grown stronger over the years
But they sometimes pain him
He works himself into the ground sometimes
All with those aging hands
I love those hands

Others would be scared of him
He's built tall and strong
Even though age is catching up with him
He still pushes forward
Taking whatever Fate throws his way
And throwing it right back

The past haunts him daily
And sometimes it nearly consumes him
I see it in his eyes every day
But he fights back
Stands tall, fists up
His hands are his best tools and his greatest weapons
And we're proud
We love our father very much
Even if we don't show it as often as we should

His are the hands that hold us up
Pull us out if we are drowning
Hold us close if we are crying
Help us out if we are failing
Catch us if we are falling
The strongest hands
I love those hands

I hold them in my own and see
The wisdom and love in them
It's like a map of life in those lines
There's a beauty unique to only them
Protective and beautiful
I love those hands,
My daddy's hands.