The Line They Never Rode

[Verse 1] I was drivin’ cattle past the Ruby Range Heard the hammers ringin’ through the mountain chains Men in straw hats, lean and low Poundin’ steel in the high white snow [Verse 2] Didn’t speak much, but their eyes held fire Faces carved from dust and wire They worked like rivers, hard and fast Built the tracks so the West could last [Chorus] But they laid down the ties and they cut through the stone Carved out a world they’d never own They built the line from shore to shore But that train ain’t stop for ‘em no more [Verse 3] Cooked their meals in wind-blown tents Took their pay and never spent No monuments, no country song Just graves where the rail rolls on [Bridge] I tipped my brim when I rode by Felt the weight of every tie A thousand ghosts with calloused hands Holdin’ up this broken land [Verse 4] Heard a boss man shout in a language mean Called 'em yellow, called 'em machines But I seen men stand in storm and snow That a thousand cowboys couldn’t tow [Final Chorus] They laid down the ties and they cut through the stone Carved out a world they’d never own We ride on rails their blood once sowed Down the line they never rode [Outro] [Fiddle fades soft like snow fallin’ on pine. The hammer rings echo, faint but never gone.]