Ballad Of Tundra

[Em]the snow came drilling down
and it [D]drove me from the riverside
running[C] ragged towards the train yard
to[B7] catch a freighte[Em]r home.
my fingers felt frost
the icy wind drew water from my eyes
the rails were slick with winter
the cold clawed at my bones.

my words came out in clouds
as I called to a brakeman
do any trains go east? I said
he pointed to the sky.
my son, he said, just look up there
the clouds look the same everywhere
and they’ll follow you anywhere
that you can hop a train.

so I will point you east, my son
but your journey will not be done
when you return to the city
that you call your home.
i know that you’re a wandering
and looking for the words to sing
but the melody of liberty
is written in your bones.

the man’s words echoed in my head
i followed where his finger led
climbed into an empty boxcar
slammed the door against the cold.
the wind whipped through the creaking boards
and sang a song without no words
but soon above its moans i heard
a voice clear and strong.

no i was not alone at all
sitting there against the wall
a girl with eyes of emerald flame
and a traveler’s well-worn hands.
come here, she said, and sit by me
we are one and the same, you see?
and please don’t say a word
because i already understand.

(chorus)

a[G]way! a[D]way!
[Em]where has she[B7] gone?
[Em]another train t[D]oday
to[C]morrow in a[B7]nother drifter’s[Em] song.

the freight train it thundered on
as time marched into the dawn
her eyes told me her stories
and her lips told me the rest.
our dreams developed undefined
amidst our bodies intertwined
we forgot icy world outside
melted into memory.

it was just as cold back east
when i got off of the train
i held her close and asked her
if we would ever meet again
she was lookin’ o’er my shoulder
at something far away
her voice came from somewhere distant
as she said, ‘on another train someday.’

a love affair is always
far shorter than the memory
and as i walked away from her
the snow it turned to rain
i looked up to the sky
as i headed for the interstate
the clouds of course had followed me
and they looked just the same.

long years i have waited
going often to the train-tracks
but the memories are fading
and i never once saw her again.
but let no one say that love is a fairytale
there’s warmth in a boxcar
or a letter from a friend.
believe me for i have seen
the borders of humanity
the fires of our sanity
will burn our long past the end.

away! away!
where have i gone?
another train today
tomorrow in another drifter’s song
tomorrow in another drifter’s song.

[Em] [G] [D] [C] [B7]