Trucker Monk (The Long Haul)

​[Verse 1] Mid-eighties child, in a town in the heart of the land The eastern wind howled while I played in the sand The sirens from Chernobyl rang out through the air The world was in terror, but I had my own cross to bear ’Cause those radiant clouds weren't the guests I feared most It was the storm inside those walls, like a cold, violent ghost ​[Verse 2] I watched the Wall fall while my own home broke down Just a kid in a group home, a ghost in the town Saw Y2K ignite, saw the two giants fall Two thousand and one, the year that broke us all Always an outsider, looking in from the side Forging my concepts on this lonely, dirty ride ​[Chorus] I’m the Trucker Monk, rolling mile after mile Behind the wheel of my pride, in my own damn style A broken-down father who refuses to quit I’m hauling the load, every single bit I take all my pain, my lyrics, and my dread And turn it into hope and my children’s bread ​[Bridge] Pain is the hammer, experience the steel I’m forging my words behind this heavy wheel Grinding the asphalt, from the dark till the light So my kids get a life that is honest and bright ​[Chorus] I’m the Trucker Monk, rolling mile after mile Behind the wheel of my pride, in my own damn style A broken-down father who refuses to quit I’m hauling the load, every single bit I take all my pain, my lyrics, and my dread And turn it into hope and my children’s bread ​[Outro] Mile after mile... Old Sweden in the rearview mirror. I’m giving them everything... everything I never had.