[Verse 1: Heartland-rock male lead, raw belted heartland-rock vocal] Every senior class in Harlan Falls climbs the tower in June Paints their names around the tank in white beneath the moon I got three rungs off the ground and both my hands locked tight Whole class climbed on past me and they painted names all night Came back down in front of everybody, red as a stop sign Left that summer for the city and I never crossed the county line Thirty years of sayin' I was busy every reunion fall Thirty years of seein' that tower every time I closed my eyes at all [Chorus: Heartland-rock male lead, full force, ringing open guitars] Some of us take the long way up Thirty years and a paint can in the truck Knees still shakin' but my hands won't quit Some of us take the long way to it [Verse 2: Heartland-rock male lead, raw belted vocal] Came home for the thirty-year, a name tag on my shirt Everybody talkin' kids and mortgages and work At midnight I slipped out with a can of white and a brush Drove out to the water tower in the cold and in the hush First rung, my breath is shakin', second rung, my palms are wet Third rung, there's the place I quit, and I ain't done payin' yet Fourth rung, I've never been here, fifth rung, I don't look down Hundred rungs of cold October and the lights of my whole town [Chorus: Heartland-rock male lead, full force, ringing open guitars] Some of us take the long way up Thirty years and a paint can in the truck Knees still shakin' but my hands won't quit Some of us take the long way to it [Bridge: Heartland-rock male lead, harmony split, two voices at the top] At the top I find our class, every name in faded white And a gap right in the middle where a name should be, just right Every class that came up after painted all around it, left it bare Thirty years of seniors keepin' one blank spot up there [Verse 3: Heartland-rock male lead, raw belted heartland-rock vocal, triumphant] So I painted my name in the gap in letters three feet tall Hands not shakin', not one bit, I wasn't scared to fall Mornin' came and from the diner you could read it clear as day Thirty years behind my class, but I finally made my way Got a phone call from the class president before I hit the interstate Said we always knew you'd make it, we just didn't know you'd wait [Final Chorus: Heartland-rock male lead, harmony split held under the lead, full force] Some of us take the long way up Thirty years and a paint can in the truck Knees still shakin' but my hands won't quit Some of us take the long way to it [End]
