Night Train

The sun was a half-dollar coin in the November sky
The porter, he helped me to drag my old suitcase inside
My friends shook their heads and said it was faster to fly
But every compatriot climbing on after had all made the same choice as mine
I’m on the night train, see this land for a change
Gardens in the backyards, a far mountain range
I’m taking my time, I’ll stay on this line to the end of the track
And watch the sun rise maybe two or three times before I come back
From breadlines to cafes, the buildings have worn over time
For every American dreamer, a mountain to climb
Orchards and fields and the harvest from April to frost
Men forging steel into bridges their children would cross
The rusty old combines and factories rose from the past
And history fell in the shadows that each of them cast
From Memphis to Denver I thought of my grandmother’s hands
Pressing that fifty-cent piece in my palm, saying «Take this as far as you can»
I’m on the night train, see this land for a change
Gardens in the backyards, a far mountain range
I’m taking my time, I’ll stay on this line to the end of the track
And watch the sun rise maybe two or three times before I come back
My helpless uncertainty, let it slide off of me
Hope in the city streets shiny and hungry
One with each other, the daughters the mothers
The good and the evil are just regular people
Deep down I know I’m still fanning the flames just by
Trying to find the right person to blame
Cause it’s easier putting a face to your fear than a name
The half-dollar coin in the sky shines with Kennedy’s call
A cold war continues but now it’s inside of us all
Silence surrounds us, we’re waiting for morning to come
The train is still rolling, the bridge is still holding, and there is still
work to be done
I’m on the night train, the skyline in sight
We’re passing the salvage yard, into the morning light
I’m taking my time, this country of mine, we’ll get it on track
We’ll watch the sun rise maybe two or three times as we come back
We’ll watch the sun rise maybe two or three times as we come back