Charlie's Workbench

I was a boy with scuffed-up shoes and a head full of

wild ideas

He’d point at the dirt and say,

“Son, that’s where the work begins”

No shortcuts, no cheap talk

— just show up and do it right

Charlie’s hands taught me honesty

before I knew what pride was like

He’d count the pennies,

shake a hand, and look a man in the eye

“Do business smart, keep your word,

and sleep clean at night”

When the world got heavy and I didn’t know which way to

turn

He was already standing in the doorway — quiet,

steady, firm

Here’s to Charlie — the man who made a man out of

me

Hard work and a good name,

that’s the only currency

He was there when I needed him most,

never asked for a parade

Everything good in my life wears his name on the blade

(yeah) I used to think I was building alone

— my hustle, my grind,

my plan

Now I see his fingerprints on every brick I laid by hand

The ethics, the hustle,

the smart way to deal

I finally understand him…

and damn, I feel

Papa, I see you now — not just the man who raised

me tough

But the reason I stand tall when the road gets rough

Here’s to Charlie — the man who made a man out of

me

Hard work and a good name,

that’s the only currency

He was there when I needed him most,

never asked for a parade

Everything good in my life wears his name on the blade

So if anyone asks how I got this far… I smile and

say

— Charlie’s hands. (Charlie's hands...)