[Verse 1: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, air-raid-siren, big and open] Nine years on the top wing of a plane older than my dad County fair on a Sunday is the only job I've had Hank up in the back seat with his goggles and his gum Seventy-four and flying like he never heard of numb Strap my boots to the rack, give a wave to the stands Kids with their mouths open, lemonade in their hands Ninety-six in the shade and the air is like glue Hank gives me the nod and the engine comes through [Chorus: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, air-raid-siren, full roar] Out on the wing with nothing to hold Wind in my teeth and the county below Sky upside down and the sun burning gold Out on the wing with nothing to hold [Verse 2: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, air-raid-siren, the turn] First loop clean and the crowd going wild Second loop climbing and I'm grinning like a child Then I looked behind me at the top of the arc And Hank was slumped over, and his face was gone dark No radio, no lessons, two thousand feet of sky Nobody in that cockpit to keep us flying high Unstrapped from the rack and I went down the struts Wind tearing at my shirt and the sky in my guts [Chorus: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, air-raid-siren, full roar] Out on the wing with nothing to hold Wind in my teeth and the county below Sky upside down and the sun burning gold Out on the wing with nothing to hold [Bridge: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, top-of-the-loop walk, organ holding one long chord] Hanging at the top with the world on its head Walked the wing upside down where the angels have fled One more step, one more grip, one more breath in the blue Hank, I got her, Hank, I'm coming through [Verse 3: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, air-raid-siren, the landing] Dropped into the front seat and the stick was in my hand Nine years watching Hank and now I gotta land Pulled her out the dive with the grass coming fast Leveled off the wings and let the fence go past Wheels on the turf and the tail coming down Rolling to a stop in the middle of the town Hank lifted up his head, rubbed his eyes in the sun Said, how'd the show go, kid, and I said, you'd have loved this one [Final Chorus: Air-raid-siren male rock lead, air-raid-siren, full roar, whole county] Out on the wing with nothing to hold Wind in my teeth and the county below Sky upside down and the sun burning gold Out on the wing with nothing to hold [End]
