Where the Rails Lead

[Intro - Gentle Acoustic Guitar, Upright Bass, Soft Train-Like Banjo Rhythm] [Expressive Fiddle Melody] [Verse 1 - Warm, Intimate Male Vocal] The morning sun is rising slow Above the fields I used to know My old hometown slips out of sight As steel wheels carry me toward the light I see the houses, small and gray The winding roads where I used to play I press my hand against the glass And watch my childhood rolling past [Pre-Chorus - Gentle Banjo Rolls, Rising Fiddle] There's a road I cannot see And a place where I should be But every mile that takes me far Reminds me where my roots still are [Chorus - Emotional, Soaring Male Vocal] Where the rails lead, I will go Past the rivers, past the snow With a heart that's torn in two Between the old and something new Though the miles may grow between Me and every place I've been I'll carry home inside of me Wherever these rails may lead [Instrumental Break - Emotional Fiddle Solo, Steady Train Rhythm] [Verse 2 - Reflective, Gentle Male Vocal] I hear my mother's voice again Like summer rain upon the wind My father's waving by the gate I wish I'd had one more day to stay The station fades behind the hill But in my heart it's standing still The fields, the trees, the evening sky Are memories I won't say goodbye [Pre-Chorus - Soft Guitar, Emotional Fiddle] The wheels keep turning down the line And every turn is marking time I close my eyes and breathe in deep And hold the things I want to keep [Chorus - Fuller Acoustic Ensemble] Where the rails lead, I will go Past the rivers, past the snow With a heart that's torn in two Between the old and something new Though the miles may grow between Me and every place I've been I'll carry home inside of me Wherever these rails may lead [Bridge - Sparse Guitar, Lonely Fiddle, Intimate Vocals] Maybe someday I'll return To the fields where sunsets burn Maybe life will take me far Beneath a thousand different stars But I know the road ahead Isn't something I should dread For every ending has a door To a life I've never known before [Instrumental Build - Banjo and Upright Bass, Hopeful Rising Fiddle] [Final Chorus - Warm, Hopeful, Emotional] Where the rails lead, I will go Through the rain and falling snow With the past beside my heart And the courage to depart Though the miles may grow between Me and every place I've been I'll carry home inside of me Wherever these rails may lead [Outro - Gentle Fiddle, Soft Acoustic Guitar] [Soft Male Vocal] The morning sun is rising high My hometown's somewhere far behind But there's a new world up ahead And I'll follow where the rails lead... [Instrumental Ending - Fiddle Fades, Gentle Train Rhythm Slows] [End]