The 8:17 Northbound Success Merry-Go-Round

I knew the man well
We used to be good friends a long time ago
He had a heart and a mind
He was one of a kind
The kind of a man a man would be lucky to know
But then there came a change
As I recall it all, it all happened fast
It was as though he had seen the American dream
And thought that the dream would bring him fulfillment at last
He put on a suit
He put on a shirt
He put on a tie
He kissed his child
He kissed his wife
He kissed his life goodbye
The last I saw of him
He walked along the road, and he looked around
As though he wanted to see one more blossoming tree
Before he’d be walking on cold city ground
He got to the station
He climbed aboard
The eight-seventeen northbound success merry-go-round