Equal Strain On All Parts

All those little things that my grandfather said

Not so little now, here in my grown-up head

I didn't always see the wisdom at the time

But I'm older now

Right after lunch and a Café Royale, he'd take his combat nap

And slip away to God knows where, beneath his weathered cap

And doze off with that parlance I came to understand

Equal strain on all parts

Son, whatever course you set

It'll ease the pain on backs and brains and hearts

It's a solid thing to wish for

It's the wrong thing to forget

Lying in this hammock now

It sure feels good to get

An equal strain on all parts

It works on land, works at sea, for creatures big and small

Cooling down our cylinders, living's a long haul

Jokes and songs and traveling

They lift the fog

Words from a new fie cabin boy still steer me near and far

And I'll pass them on in poems and songs before I cross the bar

It's worth a little time and space to understand

Equal strain on all parts

Whatever course you set

It'll ease the pain on backs and brains and hearts

It's a solid thing to wish for

It's the wrong thing to forget

Lying in this hammock now

It sure feels good to get

An equal strain on all parts