[Intro] [Train-beat snare drum fades in, followed by syncopated piano] [Male Lead Vocal] [Verse 1] Lying awake in the middle of the night Looking at the ceiling in the pale moonlight I hear the whistle blowing miles away Bringing in the cargo for the breaking day It makes me think of the places I have never been The wide open spaces and the shifting wind There is a restlessness buried in my bones A heavy weight like a pile of stones [Chorus] Listen to the sound of the distant train Cutting through the dark and the pouring rain It sings a song of freedom on the iron track Moving straight ahead and never looking back I close my eyes and I ride away On the distant train till the break of day [Verse 2] My father worked the railyard back in sixty-four Said it was a hard life, sleeping on the floor But he loved the rhythm and the burning steel He loved the way it made his spirit feel Sometimes I think I should have bought a ticket out To leave behind the worry and the creeping doubt But my roots go deep in this southern ground And I am tethered to the familiar sound [Chorus] Listen to the sound of the distant train Cutting through the dark and the pouring rain It sings a song of freedom on the iron track Moving straight ahead and never looking back I close my eyes and I ride away On the distant train till the break of day [Bridge] [Rhythm intensifies] Every iron wheel spinning on the line Is a testament to the passage of time Carrying the dreams of a thousand souls Chasing down the unreachable goals [Grand Piano Solo] [Energetic, rhythmic piano solo mimicking a train motion] [Male Lead Vocal] [Chorus] Listen to the sound of the distant train Cutting through the dark and the pouring rain It sings a song of freedom on the iron track Moving straight ahead and never looking back I close my eyes and I ride away On the distant train till the break of day [Outro] Hear the whistle blow Riding away [Train beat slowly fades out]
