| Roll on through to the other side of town.
|
| Passed the quarry, the river beds,
|
| Over bridges and bunker sheds.
|
| Roll on through to the pits and the rail car yard.
|
| «this is where you prove your worth.»
|
| A brother’s dare, that devil’s smirk.
|
| «oh, this is the way it will always be.»
|
| A kid brother in the shadows of a cold heart’s legacy.
|
| «oh, this is where we see who runs first.
|
| It’s you and me and the train.
|
| The steel tracks and the dirt.
|
| Oh, you can never live up to me.»
|
| And so he stood trembling,
|
| Waiting for smoke above the trees.
|
| Roll on through. |
| he could hear it rumbling,
|
| He could feel it beneath his feet.
|
| Roll on through.
|
| «closer now, hold your ground.
|
| Steadfast, ignore the sound.»
|
| Oh
|
| Everything went quiet
|
| Just before the rush took over his head.
|
| With the pull and the push of the engine,
|
| Think back with the coal and the steam.
|
| The racing thoughts, the questions,
|
| The adolescent rivalry.
|
| And with a nod from the elder,
|
| The younger’s fear topples over.
|
| Over rails and over timber.
|
| «that's no dodge, you fucking coward.»
|
| And the train rolls on.
|
| And the train rolls on
|
| «yellow-belly go home.»
|
| And the train rolls on. |