An open boxcar in the rail yard dim light
jerks forward in the dead of the night.
No Bulls around, two men jump in without a care.
With a trained eye one can catch the sudden short starts,
from the shadows of the old ramparts,
of drifters jumpin’ trains bound for everywhere.
Strange writings on those walls
give directions to one and all
who can read, the drifters’ share.
Where to find food, what’s the locals’ mood,
let each know, there are brothers’ who care.
They’ve come together, but remain apart;
independent, proud of heart.
Trying to retain they’re dignity and stature.
They are not the lazy kind, but got hit on the blind side.
They’re wanting to escape the memory of failure.
You may laugh and say, “ Oh, please! How could those dirty tramps be that way.
What could they possibly know?
If they’re such social snobs why don’t they get a job,
clean up, and have something to show?” 18
Most would probably say that they’ve had enough of living the other way.
“You try so hard and you still come up light.”
Let ‘em take the lions share, to hell with ‘em, I don’t care!
We’ll see who lands on their feet, next time we fight!
The two men settle in as far from the door as they can get,
the train’s movin’ slow and they’re not out of the railyard yet.
There’s a lot that can still happen, as they well know.
A flash of light shines in but nothn’s said they keep goin’.
Looks like they’re home free; no need to lay low.
……….But then, there are some, who have to run;
that made the wrong move and didn’t come out clean.
Really, at no fault of their own, under a bad sign born,
life becomes more of a contest that makes them mean.
But whose to say that one man is different from the other?
Why did Cain kill his brother?
We all search for God’s favor.
His offering was refused; God told him what he must do.
but Cain…rejected…gave up on his labor.
Cain killed his brother Abel, this is not just a fable,
the truth rings so very clear.
Man still acts this way; you can see it everyday.
These are the ones, you must fear! 19
Head’n west on a train; three passenger cars the rest freight.
Maybe things’ll be different…who knows….can’t wait.
“They was hot on our trail this time, weren’t they?
Yeah boy…it sure was a closeun’…….
they’d caught us…..we’d never see the sun.”
Back there…in that city… two men died, that day.
They rode that boxcar for hours, Bob smoked a cigarette and looked at the stars.
He thought, This life…sure a mystery to me.
Maybe when I get close to home I’ll stop feelin’ so alone.
Just once’t I’d like to do sompin’ right and shake free.
I get my best friend killed dead and this fella I’m runnin’ with ain’t right in the head.
What kinda man have I become?
I don’t even know this here guy,
how his mad-cap temper flies;
and I for sure didn’t know he had a gun.
This fella here runs his mouth all the time, how he done this and he done that; yeah, he’s got all the lines.
I don’t really even know where he came from,
he just kinda showed up one day.
My friend Treat an’ me we was short on cash to get back home , ya see?
So we broke into the cash box and stole the pay.
It weren’t nothn’ to break the lid, and no,
I ain’t proud of what we did.
Hell, I know’d better from a long time ago.
This other fella here, Pauly….runnin’ his mouth,
and the guards heard us, then it all went “south.”
Pauly jerks his pistol and nearly shoots off my toe.
He fires again and kills one of the men,
the other guard gets Treat in the head.
I see Treat go down and man, there’s blood all around.
I take to the highroad; gotta leave Treat, think of me now, instead.
I’m scrambln’ out the window, over walls, down the ally and someone calls.
It’s Pauly; damn, he’s right behind.
Shit! I thought I got rid of him,
for the two of us to get away the chances are slim.
That Pauly, he’s one of a kind.
Now here we are, riden’ this ol’ boxcar.
I don’t think they saw my face.
But that guard seen Pauly’s mug,
his is one only a mother could love.
I gotta get shed of him, I gotta find a time and place.
It’s all real sad and kinda funny cause I still ain’t got no money.
It was all left back there with Treat.
We’re startn’ to slow down, comin’ into a big town.
Get back, don’t wanta loose my seat.
We’re way back with the freight but the coach cars are lined up with the ticket gate.
I can hear the sound of children laughin’ n’ talkin’.
What a pleasant sound for my ears;
seems I haven’t heard that for years.
I gotta sneak a peek but don’t wanta get caught gaulkin’.
I remember before I had ta “git”,
my younger sisters and brother Dave, we’d all sit
on the grass with a picnic up at the dam.
Ma was there an’ she’d sing to us, an’ I’d try, but they’d all raise a fuss.
Pa’d show up, if he weren’t out on the lamb.
That was a long time ago an’ there’s things I still don’t know;
things I just cain’t understand.
How life can get so tangled up and foul; it’s been so long since I done somp’in right, I don’t think I even know how!
I keep try’n, but I don’t know where my feet’s gonna land.
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