I set my skin against the steel
It writes the song that my soul feels
The viciousness of flesh against the strings*
The struggling that taught my soul to sing

With my hands I'll forge the voice of the insane and the unsafe
I'll be ripping through the steel until it breaks

This rough skin, you can never wear it thin
Calluses hammer, bend, and tell it like it is

It's all this friction that leaves you thick-skinned
And still we press on with conviction
Because the darkest day is when you learn to play the blues**
Enduring all things and rejoicing with the truth***
So when the music fades and all is striped away****
This song within remains

With my hands I'll forge the voice of the insane and the unsafe
I'll be ripping through the steel until it breaks forth into praise

This rough skin, you can never wear it thin
Calluses hammer, bend, and tell it like it is

(Guitar solo – Maxwell Kozen)

In the skin that's broken, scarred, and torn
You'll find the place where strength is born
For new life came to human flesh
The day that blood was shed

This is how my hope sings
Saviour, take these six strings

This rough skin, you can never wear it thin
Calluses hammer, bend, and tell it like it is

* - Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky, 9-46 gauge in this case.
** - Both literally and figuratively.
*** - 1 Corinthians 13:6-7.
**** - “The Heart Of Worship” - Matt Redman, 1998.