With a distant wail that pierces the night,
a train horn blows rolling towards daylight.
The rails give beat as it moves fast.
A living ghost from out of the past.
Through hills and valleys this train does roll,
through abandoned towns that’s lost its soul.
A marvel from long ago,
it’s final destination nobody knows.
It carries freight.
It moves coal.
Occasionally a traveling soul.
The engineer,
he sits awake.
He’s got a schedule he has to make.
He remembers as he looks back,
to a time when he didn’t have to share track.
He could roll on a dozen lines.
Now he always knows where he’ll be assigned.
Through hills and valleys this train does roll,
through abandoned towns that’s lost its soul.
A marvel from long ago,
it’s final destination nobody knows.
The engine pulls with power strong.
The trains just seem to keep getting long.
Becoming a memory in film and song.
How it will be missed when it’s gone.
