(Verse 1) Summer of '79 Fourteen years old and feeling grown Standing on a station platform With a duffel bag and dreams of my own Mom said, "Have fun out there" I said, “I always do” She nodded like she understood The things I was heading into But all I really knew Was Arizona waited west And Ohio felt too small For the restless in my chest (Pre-Chorus) One ticket in my pocket One thousand miles to go (Chorus) Summer of '79 Greyhound rolling through the night Watching little towns disappear Beneath the station lights I thought I was chasing Arizona Thought that was the reason why But I was really chasing something bigger That summer of '79 (Verse 2) The driver called for boarding And people started moving slow Old men, young mothers, strangers With places I would never know I found a seat beside the window Watched my hometown fade away Every mile felt like a doorway Swinging open to another day The world got bigger quickly Than I'd ever dreamed before Cornfields turned to highways Turned to places I'd never seen before (Pre-Chorus) The road stretched out forever And I couldn't wait to see Where it would lead (Chorus) Summer of '79 Greyhound rolling through the night Watching little towns disappear Beneath the station lights I thought I was chasing Arizona Thought that was the reason why But I was really chasing something bigger That summer of '79 (Bridge) I didn't know the faces yet Didn't know the names Didn't know the stories waiting Just beyond the windowpane Didn't know a single moment Would stay with me this long Or that I'd spend years remembering A ride that now feels gone (Final Chorus) Summer of '79 Greyhound rolling through the night A kid from Ashtabula Watching America roll by I thought I was chasing Arizona Thought that was the reason why But somewhere between Ohio and the desert I left that boy behind (Outro) Summer of '79... One ticket... One bus... And a world I'd never seen.
