The Ballad of Christopher McKayi [STTZ - Go West]

🚂====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°] Folks say Christopher McKayi weren’t born like other men. Nah, he stepped outta dust an’ iron, pockets jinglin’ with coin, eyes burnin’ with a hunger no preacher could wash clean. Claimin' to be an immigrant from the old world he started young, drivin’ cattle, sellin’ whiskey, buyin’ land till he owned more acres than any man had right to. Then come the talk o’ railroads, iron snakes stretchin’ cross the West. Where other men saw progress, McKayi saw power. He staked his name on the Black River Rail Company, callin’ it after that dark river folks whispered was cursed. Some say the first contracts weren’t signed in ink, but in blood an’ silver. Them tracks cut through woods an’ farmin’ land, an’ if a man stood in McKayi’s way, well… he either vanished or sold out for pennies. McKayi promised fortune, but bought it with lies and on broken backs. Some reckoned he was just sharp at business. Others swore they’d seen a fire in his eyes that warn’t of this earth. So the Black River Rail rolled on into Storyteller Ville. To the town it brought trade, work, maybe hope. But every spike, every tie, carried the shadow o’ McKayi’s greed. And still today, when the wind howls ‘long them rails, the old folks mutter: “That ain’t just the train you hear - that’s the Devil ridin’ with it” 🚂====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°]====[°°] 🎵Lyrics🎵 [Intro] Out here in Storyteller Ville, they whisper ‘round the flame Steel an’ fire’s comin’ fast, and a railroad bears its name Black River Rail, bringin’ fortune, bringin’ trade But behind them ties an’ timbers lies the devil named Christopher McKayi [Verse 1] Smoke on the horizon, bells start to ring Folks dream o’ riches that the railroad’ll bring New faces, new markets, iron wheels that turn But McKayi counts the dollars while the poor men burn [Chorus 1] Black River Rail, thunder down the line Carryin’ hope on the engine’s shine But every dollar falls into one man's hand Christopher McKayi’s got a claim on the land [Verse 2] He buys with whiskey, he takes with lies Signs o’ the devil in the townsfolk’s eyes Farmers lose acres, widows lose sleep While the promise o’ tomorrow comes ridin’ deep [Chorus 2] Black River Rail, cuttin' through the land Steel in the dirt, blood on his hands Got around the law by a hard man's trade An’ the devil rides the train with Christopher McKayi [Bridge] Hear that hammer, hear that chain (Hear the whistle call yer name Progress must be made, but when souls are sold Do 30 coins o' silver outweigh a true heart o' gold? [Chorus 3] Black River Rail, rollin’ proud an’ free Openin’ doors to a new destiny But Judgement’s comin’ on a darker day For the souls left behind by Christopher McKayi [Inderlude] Ask yerselves now, both the old an’ the young What sayeth the Lord? Can thirty coins o’ silver outweigh a true heart o’ gold [Final Chorus] Ave Maria / Black River Rail, sinks its teeth so strong into the planes The tale lives on. O' Storyteller Ville's richest man and the deeds he done And though the train rides on till Judgement Day The devil's seat is saved for Christopher McKayi [Outro] So tracks may prosper and engines may roar But a crooked man's soul finds peace no more