They Get The Job Done

Not normal woman's hands but when have I ever pretended to be normal

Hands
by Adrian Buckaroogirl

They're torn and cracked, weathered and worn
Ripped and bruised and brown and strong and they may not be
Beautiful
But they get the job done
And they can cut a calf and rope a cow
Set a trap, shoot coyotes, hold the reins, twist wire
They work like a man, even though they look small
My hands may not be your kind of beautiful
Two silver rings and no diamond things
Burnt from cast-iron in the branding fire
Painted up on a Saturday night
They can be pretty good for breaking up a fight
My hands may not be your kind of beautiful
And they can cut a calf and rope a cow
Set a trap, shoot coyotes, hold the reins, twist wire
Sew a patch for a baby boy
They may look small, but they work like a man
My hands may not be your kind of beautiful
Sometimes they fail me when I don't know quite what to do
But they'll never hide they'll never stay or have to hide
They're hard working and always will
They can cut a calf and rope a cow
Set a trap, shoot coyotes, hold the reins, hold a hand, twist wire
They live for God, and they work like a man
My hands may not be your kind of beautiful
Your kind of beautiful
They're torn and cracked
Ripped and bruised and they're
Beautiful
And they get the job done

If you follow me on Facebook you’ve seen me post videos for songs by Adrian Buckaroogirl from time to time.  I think I found her sometime last year and she’s just fantastic.  She sings the best cowboy music, has a phenomenal voice, and writes the better part of her own music.  I just play her videos on YouTube on loop and work all day listening to her gorgeous voice sing about branding and roping and horses and getting your heart broke.  She has some really beautifully written songs full of layered nuance and some are just fun toe tapping beats that help me make it through a day of computer work and grumpy customers.  This song in particular really speaks to me.  Listen to her sing it live HERE. My hands are softer than they’ve ever been in my life since I work in an office full time, but they’re still not the soft normal hands of the girls around me.  My nails are short, unless I’ve been too lazy to cut them.  I own about 6 bottles of nail polish I never use.  They’re scarred across the tops from building fence and playing with dogs.  The palms are still rough and calloused, but not near as much as I would like.  But as Buckaroogirl says, “they may not be your kind of beautiful but they get the job done.”  My hands are my tools and the instrument by which I do the things I'm passionate about and take care of the people I love. That makes them beautiful.  

They also remind me of how I’ve spent the better part of my life doing things and working in worlds that are dominated by men.  I’m an only child so I was momma’s girl and daddy’s sidekick.  I’ve worked cows since I was a little, helped in the hay-field, drove tractors, am a first class clip twister for barbed wire fence, rode and trained some questionable horses, pulled stock in a trailer by myself since I was 16, and skinned my knuckles and knees more times than I can count.   I’ve also lost count of the old men who have peered at me from under their busy brows and hat brims while saying, “Well girls don’t do that.”  My standard reply was and still is, “Well this lady does.”  The world is a difficult place for a woman any time she plays in a field dominated by men.  Any time we place our toes in pools that have for years been dominated by men we are bound to make some waves.  Selling insurance on a daily basis is a fine balancing act between exasperation and outright indignation.  It’s super fun when you tell someone something they don’t want to hear and you’re met with, “I want to talk to a manager.”  AKA I want to talk to a MAN.  

It’s the south.  

So what do you do when you’re faced with the unfairness of life as a woman in a male dominated world?  You call upon your grace, dignity, and the tools the good Lord gave you.  You also work ten times as hard as the man beside you.  Good things come to those who get out there and hustle.  It’s not fair but I’ve yet to find anywhere in the Bible that says that life if fair.  It’s the way it is.  It’s been like that since the dawn of creation and maybe someday we’ll all be on equal footing.  Until then keep on hustling girl.  Keep on busting those knuckles open.  Keep on working like a man.  Keep on showing the world that you’re damn good at what you do.