[Intro: A single acoustic guitar starts a bright, rolling strumming pattern; an organic stomp-and-clap rhythm enters after four bars, establishing a steady, train-like momentum] [Verse 1: Kick drum and warm bass enter, locking into the heartbeat rhythm; vocals are earnest and conversational] Clear the platform Watch the steam Step inside the pocket of a forgotten dream The pistons hiss against the morning cold Chasing down a century of unspent gold Look out the window (Look out the window) See the prairie grass begin to glow [Refrain: The glockenspiel enters with a bright, bell-like chime; the collective group chorus joins in unison, slightly loose and untamed] The boiler feeds on 1884 Shoveling the minutes through the furnace door Shoveling the minutes through the furnace door [Verse 2: A second acoustic guitar enters with a cascading counter-melody; the collective chorus adds soft, rhythmic textures beneath the lead] A porch swing moving A red-dirt floor An argument forgotten behind a kitchen door You feel the spirit, you feel the spark A stranger's laughter cutting through the dark Hold the handrail (Hold the handrail) Catching pieces of a vanished gale [Instrumental Break 1: A lush, sweeping acoustic crescendo; the collective chorus fills the space with wordless, euphoric "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" that swell alongside the chiming glockenspiel] [Verse 3: The instrumentation thins out to just a softly strummed guitar and the stomp-clap rhythm; vocals drop to an intimate, close delivery] Spikes in the cedar Hands in the clay The ordinary ghosts who cleared the way They left their breathing in the iron rail A timeless rhythm that will never fail Count the crossties (Count the crossties) Moving faster than the summer flies [Chorus: Full sonic explosion; maximum warmth and volume, acoustic guitars strummed with celebratory energy, the entire collective chorus singing at the top of their lungs, letting their voices crack naturally] Let the engine roll, let the whistle blow (Oooh-oooh-oooh) Living in the currents of the long ago (Oooh-oooh-oooh) The boiler feeds on 1884 Shoveling the minutes through the furnace door (Through the furnace door) Shoveling the minutes through the furnace door (Through the furnace door) [Outro: The instrumentation gradually strips away, leaving only a gentle acoustic guitar strum and the stomp-clap rhythm; the collective chorus softly hums the refrain melody as the rhythm slows to a gentle, quiet halt]
