He spent his earlier years a workin’ on the rail
Counting all the city that raced by him
And though he knew that he was rooted to that train
When he closed his eyes
He swore that he was flyin’
And he worked so hard at stokin’ up that belly full of fire
He kept that steel ship sailing down that sea of iron wire
From the snow-capped Rocky Mountains to the sand that shaped the beach
He was always movin forward
But his dreams got out of reach
Along the way

He loved a woman once who begged to share his name
And his friends said he’d be crazy just to leave her
She always promised him his life would only change
For the better somehow he couldn’t believe her
Cause his heartbeat with rhythm of an iron horse in stride
And he couldn’t stand to trade his dreams to make that girl his bride
On a balmy August Saturday
He watched her walk the aisle
Where his brother took her hand
And flashed a smile
Stole his only love away

They moved to Deerborne
Got a flat next to the station
It was all they could afford
The rent was cheap there
It was an awkward and painful situation.
When he passed through town he pictured them asleep there
And her husband pulled her closer when he heard the trains go by
She tried hard not to notice
And tried harder not to cry
She swore she’d never tell her husband how her heart did strain
If she chased her dreams the way her one true love did
She would be with him today

Now her husband was a fireman
And he would worked the longest days
That he could to keep her guessing, keep her lonely
She made him angry in a fierce and forceful way
Cause he knew never be her one and only
When he married her he thought he had found the love to last the years
But he didn’t count on passing trains and muffled midnight tears
He could feel the knot of jealously
Grow tighter in his chest
He just had to find a way to love her better love her less
Or walk away

Then came the awful day the 401 derailed
Sending flames and sparks and metal flyin’
She heard the crashing cars
She felt herself go pale
And she fell down to her knees like she was dyin’
And Her husband was among the men they sent to fight the fire
That raged inside that train consuming all that it desired
For a wild heart beat faintly in the belly of that beast
But the flames soon grabbed a hold
they freed his soul
Sent it driftin out of reach

He came home dirty and he came home so ashamed
Came home scared to tell her it was over
The house was empty
Not a trace of her remained
After packing all her things a taxi drove her
To the station where her one true love had stood so proud and tall
Bought herself a ticket going anywhere at all
She could feel her lover heartbeat in the rhythm of the train
She leaned her head against the foggy rain watched the rain fall
She was free