[Start] [Verse 1] Down where the black creek crosses the line There’s a rusted old signal that ain’t worked in time Nobody remembers when the tracks went cold But the whistle still blows when the night gets old I was walking home with a bottle in my hand With a pocket full of money and a heart full of sand Saw a lantern swinging through the pouring rain And a man in a black coat beside that train He said, “Son, I know what you’re looking for Everything you want is behind that door” And the strangest thing I ever heard that night Was how every word he spoke sounded right [Pre-Chorus] But my daddy told me when I was young Not every sweet word comes from a righteous tongue [Chorus] There’s a long black train Rolling through the midnight rain Promises you silver While it’s dragging around a chain It’ll tell you what you want to hear It’ll call your wrongs by another name But the truth don’t ride On that long black train [Electric Guitar Solo] [Verse 2] I saw a preacher with a golden ring Selling little pieces of a heavenly thing Saw a rich man smiling with a hungry eye Saying, “Everybody’s got a price if the price is high” There was a woman who had lost her way And a boy who hadn’t slept in days That man in the black coat knew them all Knew the very thing that could make them fall Then he turned to me with a knowing grin Said, “You ain’t got to change, just come on in Leave your worries and your shame outside Ain’t nobody here gonna question your life” [Pre-Chorus] I put one boot on the iron stair Then I heard my mother’s voice like a whispered prayer [Chorus] There’s a long black train Rolling through the midnight rain Promises you silver While it’s dragging around a chain It’ll tell you what you want to hear It’ll call your wrongs by another name But the truth don’t ride On that long black train [Verse 3] I remembered a Sunday in a little white church With the windows wide open and the dust on my shirt Daddy sat beside me with his hands folded tight Said, “Son, the truth ain’t always dressed in white” “Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it burns Sometimes you lose what you thought you’d earned But a lie can give you everything And still leave you with nothing in the end” I looked through the window of that railroad car Saw a thousand faces with their eyes gone dark Every one of them had been promised a crown But nobody smiled as the wheels rolled around [Bridge] The man said, “Come on, you’re almost free” I said, “Then why are those people begging to leave?” He said, “Don’t ask questions Just trust what you see” I said, “That’s the difference Between your word and what I believe” [Electric Guitar Solo] [Verse 4] I stepped back down onto solid ground And that iron locomotive made a terrible sound The lantern shattered, the windows shook And the man turned away when I wouldn’t look I said, “I’ve been a sinner, I’ve been a fool I’ve broken promises and I’ve broken rules But I know there’s mercy for a man like me And I don’t need your ticket to be set free” Then the whistle screamed and the wheels caught fire And the train disappeared beyond the telephone wires I stood there shaking in the morning rain With an empty bottle beside that rail I walked to the church where my daddy prayed Knelt on the floor where the sunlight laid Didn’t ask for riches, didn’t ask for fame Just the strength to walk a different way [Final Chorus] Let that long black train Keep rolling through the midnight rain I don’t need its silver I don’t need its golden chains You can dress a lie in glory You can give it a holy name But the truth stands firm When the darkness fades Let that long black train Go rolling on its way I found the truth in Jesus And I’m standing here today [Outro] Down where the black creek crosses the line There’s a rusted old signal that ain’t worked in time And sometimes when the night gets cold I still hear that whistle blow But I ain’t going [Hard Stop] [End]
