[INTRO – TRAIN WHISTLE / SPOKEN] [SFX: Distant train whistle] [BUBBA] Well… I used to think I was running from my past. Turns out… I was running from the man I needed to become. [DARLENE] Then maybe it’s time to stop running. [BUBBA] I reckon you’re right. [HARMONICA – train-like blues riff] [VERSE 1 – BUBBA] I heard that whistle before the dawn, Steel wheels singing as the night rolled on. I had an old coat and a troubled mind, Looking for something I could never find. I left my trouble in a dozen towns, But somehow trouble kept following me around. I thought I could outrun the things I’d done, But you can’t outrun yourself beneath the sun. [VERSE 2 – DARLENE] I saw that train disappear in the gray, And I wondered where it carried you away. You were chasing freedom down a railroad line, But freedom ain’t something you find in time. It isn’t a bottle, it isn’t a road, It isn’t pretending you don’t have a load. Sometimes freedom begins when you finally say, “Lord, I’m tired of running. Show me Your way.” [CHORUS – BOTH] There’s mercy on the morning train, Coming through the wind and rain. There’s grace in every mile we go, There’s a hand that won’t let go. The past can call, But we don’t have to stay. There’s mercy on the morning train, And it’s carrying us home today. [YODEL – BUBBA] Yodel-ay-ee… Yodel-ay-oh… [DARLENE] Keep walking, don’t look back. [YODEL – BOTH] Yodel-ay-ee… Yodel-ay-ay… [VERSE 3 – BUBBA] I’ve known the bottle, I’ve known the blues, I’ve known the nights When a man can’t choose. I’ve known the darkness That comes with shame, And I’ve known the devil Calling my name. But somewhere between The bottom and prayer, I learned the Lord Had always been there. I didn’t see Him When I ran away, But He saw me Every single day. [VERSE 4 – DARLENE] Redemption don’t ride On a silver train, It comes through the sunshine After the rain. It comes when a heart Finally tells the truth, When an old man remembers The faith of his youth. It comes when forgiveness Is harder than pride, And you choose to let mercy Walk by your side. [HARMONICA SOLO – BUBBA] [OLD-TIME COUNTRY BLUES HARMONICA SOLO] [VERSE 5 – BUBBA] Now every morning I hear that train, And it don’t sound like sorrow To me anymore. It sounds like a promise Rolling down the line, Saying there’s still Another day that’s mine. I’ve got some rebuilding I’ve got to do, I’ve got some loving I’ve got to prove. I’ve got some songs That I still want to sing, And I’ve got thanksgiving For everything. [CHORUS – BOTH] There’s mercy on the morning train, Coming through the wind and rain. There’s grace in every mile we go, There’s a hand that won’t let go. The past can call, But we don’t have to stay. There’s mercy on the morning train, And it’s carrying us home today. [BRIDGE – GOSPEL CALL & RESPONSE] [BUBBA] Was I lost? [DARLENE] Yes. [BUBBA] Was I broken? [DARLENE] Yes. [BUBBA] Was I finished? [DARLENE] No. [BUBBA] Was there mercy? [DARLENE] Always. [BOTH] Then thank the Lord For another day. [VERSE 6 – BOTH] [BUBBA] If you’ve been running down an old dirt road— [DARLENE] You don’t have to carry that load. [BUBBA] If you’ve been drinking to forget your pain— [DARLENE] There’s mercy falling like morning rain. [BUBBA] If you’ve been locked behind your shame— [DARLENE] There’s freedom when you call His name. [BOTH] You can’t change the road That brought you here, But you can choose Where you go from here. [FINAL CHORUS – FULL] There’s mercy on the morning train, Coming through the wind and rain. There’s grace in every mile we go, There’s a hand that won’t let go. The past can call, But we don’t have to stay. There’s mercy on the morning train, And it’s carrying us home today. There’s mercy on the morning train, There’s mercy calling out my name. I’ve got one more mile, I’ve got one more day, And I’m gonna walk The Lord’s way. [FINAL YODEL] [BUBBA] Yodel-ay-ee… [DARLENE] Yodel-ay-oh… [BOTH] Mercy on the morning train! [YODEL] Yodel-ay-ee… Yodel-ay-oh… [OUTRO – TRAIN WHISTLE] [BUBBA – SPOKEN] Darlene? [DARLENE] Yes? [BUBBA] You hear that train? [DARLENE] I hear it. [BUBBA] Sounds like it’s headed home. [DARLENE] Then let’s go. [HARMONICA – final train-like phrase] [SFX: Train whistle fading into morning birds]
