From the album “Rail“
The Stage
[Intro]
Lights up… no script this time
(You’re live)
(Time to chime)
[Verse 1]
Curtain lifts on borrowed lines
Truth gets lost between the signs
Spotlight burns but shadows grow
More than anyone will show
Every word rehearsed to fit
Every pause a measured bit
But something cracks beneath the sound
Like a truth that won’t stay down
[Bridge]
Are you ready to take the stage
(Raise your voice and engage!)
[Verse 2]
Lines get blurred, the roles collide
No more place for truth to hide
Every actor drops the mask
Facing more than they were asked
Voices rise without a cue
Raw and breaking something new
Not perfection, not control
Just a crack inside the whole
[Pre-Chorus]
Are you ready to take the stage
(Raise your voice and engage!)
Are you ready to break the gauge
(Turn the spark to blaze!)
[Chorus]
Have you seen
(Too much mean)
Reached the stage
(Of rail and rage)
Do you feel
(What is real)
Past the cage
(Of fear and age)
[Bridge]
If the stage becomes the street
(And the script is incomplete)
What remains when lines are gone
(Is the voice you build upon)
No more waiting in the wings
(No more silence dressed as things)
Every moment, every breath
(Stands between the life and death)
[Final Chorus]
Have you seen
(Too much mean)
Reached the stage
(Of rail and rage)
Now you stand
(Take command)
On the edge
(Of truth unplanned)
[Outro]
Take the stage…
(And sail away)
Or “same ole page”)
(and fade away…)
Rail
[Intro]
Did you go off the rails?
(Never fails)
[Verse 1]
Steel lines hum beneath your feet
Every promise sounds so sweet
Switches thrown in dead of night
Truth derailed without a fight
Signals flicker, red to green
Blurring what is heard and seen
Tickets stamped but no control
Destination: pay the toll
[Pre-Chorus]
You can feel the pressure build
Every gap the silence filled
Whispers riding every track
No way forward, no way back
[Chorus]
Rail against the machine
(Or humans so obscene)
Rail for freedom
(No such thing as free dumb)
Ride the line between
(What is and what has been)
Rail for reason
(Or lose all you believe in)
[Verse 2]
Engines roaring through your mind
Leave the fragile truth behind
Every carriage, every lie
Stacked beneath a darkened sky
Schedules written, never kept
Dreams abandoned, secrets slept
Cargo full of doubt and fear
Still the end is drawing near
[Pre-Chorus]
Hear the metal start to scream
Nothing’s ever what it seems
Brakes are failing, sparks ignite
Running blind into the night
[Chorus]
Rail against the machine
(Or humans so obscene)
Rail for freedom
(No such thing as free dumb)
Cross the in-between
(Where you’ve never been)
Rail for meaning
(Or stop the world from leaning)
[Bridge]
Off the rails, we justify
Every truth we let it die
Echoes ringing in the steel
Tell me what is even real
If the track begins to bend
Do you follow to the end?
Or jump clear before the fall
Before nothing’s left at all
[Instrumental Break]
[Final Chorus]
Rail against the machine
(Or humans so obscene)
Rail for freedom
(No such thing as free dumb)
Break the unseen seam
(Tear apart the dream)
Rail for something
(Or end up with nothing)
[Outro]
Did you go off the rails?
(Never fails…)
Vehemently
[Intro]
Say it louder than you feel it… or why say it at all
(Let’s heed the call!)
[Verse 1]
Paper systems draw the line
Between the yours and mine
But nothing here is really fixed
It shifts, it slips, it gets mixed
Voices stack but don’t align
Truth is running out of time
Every edge begins to bend
Before it ever finds an end
[Pre-Chorus]
You can feel it in your chest
Something restless, unexpressed
Like a storm that hasn’t broke
But you already feel the smoke
[Refrain]
Rail vehemently
(Against lack of humanity)
With angst and vigor
(Make it bigger)
Rail vehemently
(Through the static memory)
With force and trigger
(Make it linger)
[Verse 2]
Every word is overused
Every truth is being bruised
Meaning bends beneath the strain
Of repetition and its gain
Still you push against the wall
Even knowing it might fall
Not for answers carved in stone
But to not be left alone
[Pre-Chorus]
Something rises in the wire
Like a signal catching fire
Not a plan, not a design
Just a pulse that won’t align
[Refrain]
Rail vehemently
(Against lack of humanity)
With angst and vigor
(Make it bigger)
Rail vehemently
(Against the blurred majority)
With heat and rigor
(Make it trigger)
[Bridge]
If it breaks, what do you gain?
If it holds, who feels the pain?
Every cause becomes a thread
Pull it once and something’s shed
[Build-Up]
No direction fully right
No surrender, no clear light
Just the friction in the air
Of a world that isn’t fair
[Final Refrain]
Rail vehemently
(Against lack of humanity)
With angst and vigor
(Make it bigger)
Rail vehemently
(Against collapsing sanity)
With fire and trigger
(Make it linger)
[Outro]
Vehemently…
(vehemently…)
Can you hear me?
[Fade to silence]
Third
[Intro]
Step too close… and you’ll get to know
(How far it will flow)
How far you will go
[Verse 1]
Walking close to the warning line
Tracing sparks in your fragile mind
Steel hum whispers underground
Every truth you lost, then found
You say it’s safe, you say it’s tame
But every step ignites your name
One wrong move, one careless slide
And there’s nowhere left to hide
[Pre-Chorus]
You feel it calling under skin
Like a current pulling you in
No forgiveness in the wire
Just a flash of buried fire
[Chorus]
Careful of that third rail
(No, it will never fail)
Touching that third rail
(I’m talking shocking!)
Careful of that third rail
(It won’t leave a trail)
Grabbing that third rail
(It’s electric talking!)
[Verse 2]
You think you’ve mastered every rule
Taught the danger, played it cool
But confidence is just a flame
That doesn’t always know its name
Lines are drawn but blur so fast
Future welded to the past
And what you thought you understood
Turns to ash where you once stood
[Pre-Chorus]
You lean in just to test the air
Like nothing ever could be there
But steel remembers every touch
And danger doesn’t ask too much
[Chorus]
Careful of that third rail
(No, it will never fail)
Touching that third rail
(I’m talking shocking!)
Careful of that third rail
(Once you tip the scale)
Falling to that third rail
(It’s always rocking!)
[Bridge]
One spark and it rewrites fate
No delay, it doesn’t wait
Silent rules beneath the ground
Where consequences don’t make sound
You can run, but not erase
What you’ve already faced to face
Every step becomes a thread
Pull it once and something’s dead
[Final Chorus]
Careful of that third rail
(No, it will never fail)
Touching that third rail
(I’m talking shocking!)
Careful of that third rail
(It don’t leave a trail)
Crossing that third rail
(The end is talking!)
[Outro]
Don’t touch…
(Whoa… too much)
Wait, wait, wait!
(Too late…)
Off The….
[Intro]
You sure about this?
(Careful what you wish)
Have you forgot
(Probably not…)
[Verse 1]
Maps are burning in your hands
None of this goes as you planned
Signals crossed and lines erased
You’re smiling while the world gets misplaced
Logic bends and bends again
Starts where it stops, where it should’ve been
Every step’s a question mark
Walking out into the dark
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh no
(There ya go)
Whoa, oh, oh
(I dunno)
[Chorus]
Going!
(Off the rails)
Knowing
(Epic fails)
Rolling!
(No control)
Showing
(You lose the whole)
[Verse 2]
Every rule you thought you knew
Turns around and lies to you
Gravity forgot your name
Now everything feels slightly strange
Steps repeat but lead nowhere
Doors appear and disappear
Time is laughing in your face
As you drift from place to place
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh no
(There ya go)
Whoa, oh, oh
(I dunno)
[Chorus]
Going!
(Off the rails)
Knowing
(Epic fails)
Falling
(No detail)
Calling
(The broken trail)
[Bridge]
If direction doesn’t matter
Why’s everything still shatter?
If the end is just a guess
Why does it feel like less and less?
You can laugh or you can run
(But the outcome’s already done)
Every choice becomes a spin
(And you don’t know where to begin)
[Final Chorus]
Going!
(Off the rails)
Knowing
(Epic fails)
Spinning
(Truth derails)
Grinning
(As reason pales)
[Outro]
Off the…
(off the…)
rails…
(Wails)
… off the rails…
Pulling Out of the Station
[Intro]
Now boarding… final call…
(One and all)
Far and near
(Stand clear…)
[Verse 1]
Crowds are shifting, eyes on screens
Buying into borrowed dreams
Schedules printed, none are right
Still they line up every night
Tickets stamped with borrowed names
Everyone plays different games
Truth delayed on every track
Still no one is turning back
[Pre-Chorus]
Have you heard:
(All aboard!)
[Chorus]
The train
(Is pulling out of the station)
The sane
(Are fleeing the stag-nation)
No brakes
(No room for hesitation)
High stakes
(A runaway situation)
[Verse 2]
Platforms shaking, cracks appear
Announcements no one hears
Every sign points somewhere else
But no one questions what they felt
Currency of doubt and fear
Spent like it’s disposable here
Riding faster than control
Every mile takes its toll
[Pre-Chorus]
Have you heard:
(All aboard!)
[Chorus]
The train
(Is pulling out of the station)
The sane
(Are fleeing the stag-nation)
No brakes
(No chance of preservation)
Mistakes
(A self-made detonation)
[Bridge]
Who’s left to question where it goes?
When every answer no one knows
Tracks are laid in blind belief
Fueled by panic, dressed as relief
If you see it, step aside
Or get consumed within the ride
Momentum doesn’t negotiate
It only knows accelerate
[Final Chorus]
The train
(Is pulling out of the station)
The sane
(Are fleeing the stag-nation)
Full speed
(No thought of navigation)
Stampede
(A mass hallucination)
[Outro]
All aboard…
(Self-absorbed?)
Wait, wait, wait!
(Too late…)
Freighthopping
[Intro]
No ticket… no map… just motion
(And a notion)
Don’t care about the cost…
(Headed somewhere between leaving and lost)
[Verse 1]
Night falls hard on broken towns
Where neon flickers, hope runs down
A pack of silence on my back
Waiting for that rumbling track
Steel snake crawling through the dark
Carving time with iron sparks
Every mile a prayer unspun
Chasing where the west has gone
[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t ask where it will go
You just learn to let it flow
Hold your breath and trust the sound
Of a world that won’t slow down
[Chorus]
Freighthopping
(Jumping onboard)
There’s no stopping
(Take me home, Lord!)
Freighthopping
(Riding the roar)
No map, no warning, just the steel’s accord
[Verse 2]
Boxcar whispers, names unknown
Stories carved in rust and bone
Every stranger shares the same
Weight of wind and shifting flame
Borders fade on iron wheels
Truth is only what you feel
Every tie and every rail
Carries more than just a tale
[Pre-Chorus]
No conductor calls your name
No one rides this ride the same
Only rhythm, steel, and sky
And the question: why ask why?
[Chorus]
Freighthopping
(Jumping onboard)
There’s no stopping
(Take me home, Lord!)
Freighthopping
(Out past the shore)
Just wind and motion and the endless roar
[Bridge]
Every track a thread of time
Every mile a thin bloodline
You don’t own the road you take
You just ride it wide awake
And if the night begins to fold
Around your hands, around your soul
Hold on tight or let it be
The train will decide what you see
[Final Chorus]
Freighthopping
(Jumping onboard)
There’s no stopping
(Take me home, Lord!)
Freighthopping
(Through steel and storm)
A restless prayer in a rolling form
[Outro]
Freighthopping…
(Jumping onboard…)
Good lord!
[Soft Acoustic Guitar Fade]
Gone again… into the chord…
About the Song
Hobos primarily called the act of sneaking on and riding trains “catching out” or “riding the rails,” with the general practice known as freighthopping or train hopping. Other common slang terms for this practice included:
* Catching on the fly: Boarding a moving freight train.
* Possum belly: Lying flat on the roof of a passenger car to avoid detection.
* Riding the rods: Riding on the steel rods underneath a freight car.
* Jungle/Hop Out: Heading to a “hobo jungle” (camp) to find a spot to jump on a train.
Bull
[Intro]
Watch the signs… not all are spoken…
(I ain’t jokin’)
Gotta find a safe home…
(Signs drawn in dust and bone)
[Verse 1]
On the fence line by the yard
There’s a language left unmarred
Coal-black marks on weathered wood
Telling who stays, who never should
A circle means a welcome stay
A crossed-out mark says walk away
But deeper in the coded line
There’s warning signs you learn in time
[Pre-Chorus]
Some signs don’t speak so kind
Some are carved to change your mind
Look too long, you’ll understand
The law is written in the land
[Chorus]
Bull!
(Go figure)
Pull
(The trigger)
Bull!
(Stay quicker)
Pull
(The signal flicker)
[Verse 2]
There’s a mark that warns your name
Drawn in haste, erased in shame
A trident scratched into the post
Means don’t linger, don’t boast
Railroad shadows on patrol
Watching every wandering soul
Steel-eyed judgment, cold and near
Turning distance into fear
[Pre-Chorus]
When the zigzag cuts the way
That’s a line you should obey
Not all roads are safe to tread
Some are better left unread
[Chorus]
Bull!
(Go figure)
Pull
(The trigger)
Bull!
(Don’t linger)
Pull
(The danger lingers)
[Bridge]
They call it order, call it law
But every sign has hidden flaws
A chalked-out truth upon the wall
Can mean don’t come here at all
So read the ground, read the wire
Read the warnings carved in fire
Every symbol tells you clear
Who should leave and who stays near
[Final Chorus]
Bull!
(Go figure)
Pull
(The trigger)
Bull!
(No beginner)
Pull
(The line gets thinner)
Bull!
(Watch the figure)
Pull
(The world grows bigger)
Or smaller…
(depending where you linger)
[Outro]
A mark in coal… a warning drawn…
(Should you follow… before you’re gone…)
About the Song
Hobo language symbols are a secret code created by migratory workers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These symbols—drawn on fences, bridges, or water towers with coal or chalk—provided critical safety, food, and work information to other travelers without alerting locals or railroad police.
Railroad Police (“Bull”): Often warned about through symbols like a trident or zigzag lines, signifying danger.
The Jungle and the Hop Out
[Intro]
Out past the yard… where the rules get thin…
That’s where it begins…
[Verse 1]
Out where the rails forget the town
Where broken signs hang upside down
There’s a circle carved in soot and stone
A place the wanderers call their home
Hidden deep in brush and shade
Where the bulls don’t like to raid
Stories traded, warm and low
Of where the fast ones start to go
Hobos speak in half-light truth
Passing down their living proof
Which yard runs cold, which runs hot
Which ones to take, which ones not
[Pre-Chorus]
If you listen close at night
You can learn what feels just right
Every whisper, every sign
Leads you closer to the line
[Refrain]
Our refrain:
(Before hoppin’ the train)
After the bungle in the jungle
(Hop out!)
Shout:
(Hop out!)
The crucial rule:
(Don’t be a fool)
[Verse 2]
They wait where water slows the steel
Where heavy wheels begin to kneel
Or where the grades make engines crawl
And timing means it all
A sprint beside a moving beast
A fleeting chance at westward peace
Grab the ladder, trust your grip
Or let the moment slip
No headlights in the blind yard zone
Just shadows and the engine’s tone
One mistake and you’re left behind
Or worse, erased from track and time
[Pre-Chorus]
Every move is measured right
In the jungle before night
What you take and what you share
Keeps you safe—or leaves you there
[Refrain]
Our refrain:
(Before hoppin’ the train)
After the bungle in the jungle
(Hop out!)
Shout:
(Hop out!)
The crucial rule:
(Don’t be a fool)
[Bridge]
Never touch the engine’s face
That’s the most forbidden place
Slip up front, you won’t survive
Only the back keeps you alive
Steel don’t care what dreams you bring
It only knows the pull of things
Forward motion, iron law
No forgiveness in the draw
Feel the ground begin to shake
Every choice a path you take
Now the train begins to call
Time to risk it all
[Final Refrain]
Our refrain:
(Before hoppin’ the train)
After the bungle in the jungle
(Hop out!)
Shout:
(Hop out!)
The crucial rule:
(Don’t be a fool)
Oh, no…
(Don’t be a fool)
Oh, stay cool
(Avoid the cruel… obey the rule…)
[Outro]
Out in the jungle… before the run…
The hop out’s done… or just begun…
About the Song
The Hobo Jungle was a makeshift camp located just outside rail yards.
It served as a hidden staging area for the Hop Out, the final act of boarding a train.
⛺ The Jungle: More Than Just a Camp
- These sites were strategically hidden in gullies or behind brush to avoid the “bulls.”
- Intelligence Hub: Hobos traded “train lore,” such as schedules and which bulls were violent.
- The Mulligans: Camps often featured a communal “Mulligan stew” where everyone contributed what they had.
- Rules of the Road: Jungles had strict unwritten laws about cleanliness and sharing to ensure the camp wasn’t discovered.
- Communication: Trees and fence posts nearby were often marked with hobo signs (symbols) to warn others of danger or direct them to water.
🚂 The Hop Out: The Strategic Boarding
- The “Hop Out” was the high-stakes moment of actually catching the train.
- The Waiting Game: Hobos watched from the jungle for the train to slow down or stop for water.
- Timing the Sprint: “Catching it on the fly” required sprinting alongside a moving car and grabbing the ladder.
- Targeting the Car: Hobos looked for “empties” or specific cars like “gondolas” (open tops) or “reefers” (refrigerated cars).
- Avoiding the Light: Hop outs usually happened at night or in the “blind spots” of the yard to evade spotlights.
📍 Strategic Locations
- Water Tanks: Trains had to stop here, making it the easiest place to hop on.
- Steep Grades: Heavy freights slowed down on uphill climbs, allowing hobos to catch up on foot.
- Yard Perimeters: Staying just outside the official yard boundary kept them out of the legal jurisdiction of the rail police.
💡 Crucial Rule
Never hop on the front of a moving train; if you slip, you’ll fall under the wheels.
Always aim for the back of the car.
Riding the Possum Belly
[Intro]
Stay flat… don’t move…
(Play dead… ride through…)
[Beat Kicks In, Driving Rhythm, Guitar Pulse]
[Verse 1]
Curved steel roof beneath your chest
No room here for second guess
Line of sight just slips away
If you become the shape you lay
Bulls below with lantern eyes
Scanning shadows, scanning lies
But you’re above their narrow view
If you don’t twitch—if you stay true
[Pre-Chorus]
Every inch a measured breath
Stillness is the dodge of death
Feel the engine’s burning cry
Don’t react—just let it fly
[Chorus]
Go! Go low!
(Riding the possum belly)
Know to go
(Riding the possum belly)
Stay below
(Where they’ll never tell me)
Lose the show
(Riding the possum belly)
[Verse 2]
Or slip beneath in wooden hold
A box of splinters, damp and cold
The toolbox hums with iron breath
A cramped embrace that smells like death
No sky to guide, no stars to see
Just rattling dark uncertainty
But hidden deep where no one checks
You trade the air for safer decks
[Pre-Chorus]
Every choice a thinner line
Between the caught and undefined
Above or under, both the same
You ride the edge, you play the game
[Chorus]
Go! Go low!
(Riding the possum belly)
Know to go
(Riding the possum belly)
Stay below
(Where they’ll never tell me)
Lose the show
(Riding the possum belly)
[Bridge]
Low bridge coming—feel it near
Flatten out or disappear
Smoke and cinders burn your eyes
Still you don’t react or rise
Wind will try to tear you free
Curves will test your gravity
Every second dares you fall
Still you answer—still and small
[Build-Up]
Faster than the freight line crawl
This one cuts the distance small
Risk and speed in equal share
You chose the ride—you take the dare
[Final Chorus]
Go! Go low!
(Riding the possum belly)
Know to go
(Riding the possum belly)
Stay below
(No one’s gonna tell me)
Lose control
(Riding the possum belly)
Go! Go low!
(Flat as shadow, barely)
Know to go
(Hold on tight and carry)
[Outro]
Play dead… ride through…
(Like a possum would do…)
About the Song
Riding the possum belly was one of the most dangerous and uncomfortable ways to travel.
It refers to a hobo lying flat on his stomach—much like a possum—atop a passenger or freight car
to remain invisible to yard guards and conductors.
🪵 Where exactly was it?
While the term is sometimes used for the roof, it technically refers to two distinct “belly-like” spots:
- The Roof: Lying flat on the curved top of a passenger coach to stay above the line of sight of “bulls” patrolling the tracks.
- The Toolbox: A storage compartment underneath the floor of older passenger cars where a hobo could squeeze in to hide.
⚠️ The Risks
- The “Low Bridge”: Not staying perfectly flat could result in fatal impact with a low bridge or tunnel.
- Smoke and Cinders: Close proximity to the engine exposed riders to hot soot and blinding coal smoke.
- Wind Shear: High speeds could pull a person off the roof without a firm grip.
- Centrifugal Force: Sharp curves made it difficult to stay balanced on top of the car.
🕵️ Why choose this spot?
- Stealth: It was one of the last places conductors would check while the train was moving.
- Speed: Passenger trains were faster than freights, cutting travel time significantly.
- Avoidance: It kept riders away from the “blind baggage” area, often checked by rail police.
📌 The Terminology
The name comes from the Virginia opossum, known for its low-slung belly and its habit of staying perfectly still to avoid being seen by predators.
D!
[Intro]
It starts with a slip…
(Then… let ‘er rip…)
[Verse 1]
One step past the warning sign
Thought you’d read between the lines
Pressure building, hairline crack
Now there’s no way pulling back
Every bolt begins to shake
Every choice a small mistake
Steel remembers every sound
As the whole thing’s coming down
[Pre-Chorus]
Feel the tension start to snap
No more room to fill the gap
All the weight you tried to hide
Now it’s breaking from inside
[Refrain]
D! (Railed)
Last nail
D! (Railed)
Listen to the wail
(Derailed)
[Verse 2]
Tracks are twisting out of line
Signal lost in real-time
Every second splits in two
Nothing left for you to do
Echoes screaming through the frame
No one left to take the blame
Momentum doesn’t care
Once you’re in, you’re already there
[Pre-Chorus]
Hear the metal start to cry
Watch the system glitch and fry
All the sparks you tried to tame
Now they’re spelling out your name
[Refrain]
D! (Railed)
Last nail
D! (Railed)
Listen to the wail
(Derailed)
[Bridge]
Derive the fall from what you knew
Divide the lies from what was true
D is more than just a sign
It’s the end of every line
[Build-Up]
Drift too far, you disappear
Driven by the pulse of fear
Dead ahead, no time to scale
Just the sound of something frail
[Final Refrain]
D! (Railed)
Last nail
D! (Railed)
Hear the system fail
(Derailed)
D! (Railed)
Detail
D! (Railed)
Off the final rail
(Derailed)
[Outro]
D…
(…railed)
D…
(Wailed!)
Railing
[Intro]
Sometimes the track isn’t outside you…
(The point-of-view…)
… it’s inside you
[Verse 1]
You thought the line was straight and true
But it bends right back through you
Every signal in your chest
Forgets the difference between rest and stress
Thoughts collide in crowded rails
Memory splits, it twists, it wails
Every step becomes a sound
Of something breaking underground
[Pre-Chorus]
And you try to hold it still
But it moves against your will
Every truth you thought you knew
Starts unraveling in you
[Chorus]
Railing and reeling
(Exposing feeling)
Reeling and railing
(Emotional flailing)
Spinning and spilling
(Nerves are chilling)
Falling and feeling
(Everything’s peeling)
[Verse 2]
You can’t quite tell where it began
Or where the break first ran
Every cause becomes unclear
Every answer disappears
But even in the storm you hear
A rhythm underneath the fear
Not a voice that gives command
Just the echo of your hand
[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t fight it, you just ride
Through the shifting deep inside
Like a train that lost its way
But still moves another day
[Chorus]
Railing and reeling
(Exposing feeling)
Reeling and railing
(Emotional flailing)
Turning and kneeling
(Truth revealing)
Burning and healing
(All unsealing)
[Bridge]
If you fall, do you fall through
Or just fall back into you?
Every crack becomes a door
To something you ignored before
Let it shake, let it show
Everything you didn’t know
Every fracture, every seam
Pulls you closer to the dream
[Final Chorus]
Railing and reeling
(Exposing feeling)
Reeling and railing
(Emotional flailing)
Spinning and spilling
(Nerves are chilling)
Breaking and healing
(Truth revealing)
[Outro]
Reeling…
(railing…)
Hotrails
[Intro]
Careful…
(It’s been found:)
… these lines carry more than sound
[Verse 1]
Every step along the steel
Sends a signal I can feel
Running deeper than the ground
To the place where you are found
Heat is rising in the line
Every pulse a hidden sign
Like a current pulling through
Every thought leads back to you
[Pre-Chorus]
If I listen close enough
Through the static and the rough
There’s a rhythm in the spark
Guiding me out of the dark
[Chorus]
On the hotrails
(To my heart)
All else pales
(When we part)
Through the hotrails
(Feel it start)
Every detail
(Plays its part)
[Verse 2]
Distance tries to draw a line
But it can’t divide the time
Every mile still connects
In the pulse I can detect
Through the steel, through the strain
Through the silence, through the rain
Something travels, something stays
Lighting up the quiet ways
[Pre-Chorus]
I don’t need to see your face
To feel you in this space
Every signal that I find
Brings your presence back in line
[Chorus]
On the hotrails
(To my heart)
All else pales
(When we part)
Through the hotrails
(Never far)
Every detail
(Who we are)
[Bridge]
If the line should ever cool
Would the current break the rule?
Or is something stronger still
Moving through beyond our will
Every spark, every trace
Holds a memory in place
Every path the signal takes
Is a bond it never breaks
[Final Chorus]
On the hotrails
(To my heart)
All else pales
(When we part)
Through the hotrails
(Burning bright)
Every detail
(Feels so right)
[Outro]
Still it travels…
(still it starts…)
On the rails…
(to my heart…)
One Track Mind
[Intro]
Straight line… no deviation
(No hesitation)
Attempts at proving…
(Keep it moving)
[Verse 1]
Every thought runs in a row
Same direction, same old flow
Signals flash but you don’t see
Anything but what will be
Switches there but never thrown
Every path is overgrown
By the rhythm in your head
Pulling forward, never spread
[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t hear the crosswinds call
Don’t see cracks along the wall
Everything is streamlined tight
Running blind into the night
[Chorus]
You have a:
(One track mind)
If you trace
(You will find)
La, la, la
(You have a:)
One track mind!
(One track mind)
[Verse 2]
Every answer fits the same
Different question, same old frame
Echo chamber, steel and sound
Spinning but it stays unbound
Lines converge but you don’t turn
Every lesson left unlearned
Still the engine drives ahead
On the rails inside your head
[Pre-Chorus]
There’s a world beyond the line
Curves and corners undefined
But it’s easier to stay
On the track that feels okay
[Chorus]
You have a:
(One track mind)
If you trace
(You will find)
La, la, la
(You have a:)
One track mind!
(One track mind)
[Bridge]
What if there’s another way?
What if you could shift the play?
Every rail you hold so tight
Might be blinding you from sight
Let it bend, let it break
Every turn you never take
Could be leading somewhere new
If you only changed your view
[Final Chorus]
You have a:
(One track mind)
If you trace
(You will find)
La, la, la
(You have a:)
One track mind!
(One track mind)
You have a:
(One track mind)
Break the line
(Leave it behind)
[Outro]
Tick… tick… tick…
(or change the time…)
Hear the clock chime
(Time… time… it’s time.)
Handrail
[Intro]
You don’t have to do it alone… even when it feels like you are
(… into the bizarre….)
[Verse 1]
Every step feels out of place
Like gravity forgot your face
Concrete shifts beneath your feet
While the world just skips a beat
You reach out into the air
Wondering if anyone’s there
But even silence makes a sound
When you’re trying not to hit the ground
[Pre-Chorus]
And if the edge is getting close
And you don’t know where to go
There’s a line you haven’t seen
Between the broken and the in-between
[Chorus]
Do you need help to stand?
(I understand)
I’ll give you a hand
(Lift up the damned)
To steady your stance
(Finding justice)
Let’s dance!
(Celebrate how life is)
[Verse 2]
Every fall leaves a mark
Even if it’s in the dark
But scars can map a way back home
To remind you you’re not alone
And every crack in what you knew
Lets a little light come through
Not to blind you, not to burn
But to show you where to turn
[Pre-Chorus]
And if your balance starts to shake
And every step begins to break
Hold the rail, don’t look away
There’s still more here left to say
[Chorus]
Do you need help to stand?
(I understand)
I’ll give you a hand
(Lift up the damned)
To steady your stance
(Finding justice)
Let’s dance!
(Celebrate how life is)
[Bridge]
Not every fall is defeat
Not every loss is complete
Sometimes falling is the way
You learn to stand another day
And every hand that pulls you near
Erases half the weight of fear
Until the ground feels less unkind
And something steadies in your mind
[Final Chorus]
Do you need help to stand?
(I understand)
I’ll give you a hand
(Lift up the damned)
To steady your stance
(Finding justice)
Let’s dance!
(Celebrate how life is)
Do you need help to stand?
(We understand)
Take all you can
(We lift the damned)
[Outro]
Hold on…
(I’ve got you…)
You’ve got me, too
(Using a handrail)
… you’ll never fail
Leaning Over
[Intro]
Please be careful
(Leaning over the railing)
That would be awful
(If either starts failing)
[Verse 1]
Wind cuts sharp across the edge
Where caution meets a fragile ledge
Every glance becomes a pull
Gravity is never dull
You think you’re steady, think you’re fine
But balance blurs along the line
One small shift, one careless lean
And the world forgets what’s between
[Pre-Chorus]
Please be careful
(Leaning over the railing)
That would be awful
(If either starts failing)
[Chorus]
If you end up falling
(Over the edge)
Sailing and flailing
(Down to the dredge)
Do you hear the reaper calling?
(Slip and falling)
Flailing and wailing
(Out on the ledge)
[Verse 2]
The height doesn’t ask your name
It doesn’t care for pride or fame
It only waits for shifting feet
For hesitation, incomplete
Every railing holds a truth
A warning carved in aged proof
But curiosity bends near
When silence amplifies the fear
[Pre-Chorus]
Please be careful
(Leaning over the railing)
That would be awful
(If either starts failing)
[Chorus]
If you end up falling
(Over the edge)
Sailing and flailing
(Down… down in the dredge)
Do you fear the reaper calling?
(Slip and falling)
Flailing and wailing
(Through every pledge)
[Bridge]
Is it fear or is it thrill
(That makes you lean against the will?)
Every second holds its breath
(Balanced somewhere close to death)
Hold the line, don’t let it break
(Every move is yours to take)
Step back now or step too far
(And redefine just where you are)
Who you are
(What you are…)
[Final Chorus]
If you end up falling
(Over the edge)
Sailing and flailing
(Down in the dredge)
Are you feel the reaper gnawing?
(Slippin’ and fallin’)
Flailing and wailing
(Out on the edge)
[Outro]
Please be careful…
(Prevent awful)
Heart be still…
(Please be careful…)
Against
[Intro]
What are you pushing against… and what’s pushing back?
(Is there anything we lack?)
[Verse 1]
Signs are posted but they bend
Truth dissolves at every end
Words get thinner in the air
No one’s really holding there
Systems hum without a face
Spinning faster out of place
Every answer multiplies
While the question quietly dies
[Pre-Chorus]
You can feel it in your chest
Something never comes to rest
Pressure forming in the wire
Like a signal catching fire
[Chorus]
Rail against
(Inequality)
Rail against
(New normality)
Rail against
(The severity)
Rail against
(Failed humanity)
[Verse 2]
Promises with empty weight
Shift and mutate, change their state
Nothing holds its shape for long
Right becomes another wrong
Faces fade behind the screen
Louder now than they have been
But the meaning slips away
Every time you try to stay
[Pre-Chorus]
Every step you think is clear
Echoes louder when you’re near
Lines are drawn then redefined
Left behind what you designed
[Chorus]
Rail against
(Inequality)
Rail against
(New normality)
Rail against
(The severity)
Rail against
(Failed humanity)
[Bridge]
If you break it, what remains?
More of silence, more of chains
If you fix it, who decides
What survives and what divides?
Nothing settles, nothing sleeps
Everything you question keeps
Turning, burning, coming back
On the same unending track
[Final Chorus]
Rail against
(Inequality)
Rail against
(New normality)
Rail against
(The severity)
Rail against
(Failed humanity)
Rail against
(The machinery)
Rail against
(What’s inside of me)
[Outro]
Against…
(The subservient)
Nonsensed
(against…)
Listen
[Intro]
Not everything you need to hear is near…
(You can still hear it quite clear)
Sometimes it’s already on its way
(If you listen to what the rails say)
[Verse 1]
You wait for signs up in the sky
For something bold to pass you by
But underneath your restless feet
There’s a rhythm you can’t see
Every motion leaves a trace
Echoes traveling through space
Not through air, but something more
Hidden just beneath the floor
[Pre-Chorus]
If you quiet everything
All the noise that you might bring
There’s a signal you can feel
Running deep along the steel
[Refrain]
Put your ear to the rail
(Listen to hear)
How far along the trail
(’til the station’s near)
Put your ear to the rail
(Closer than air)
Follow the hidden trail
(It’s already there)
[Verse 2]
It travels faster than you know
Through paths you never see it go
Carried in a silent wave
Through every beam and every grave
Not a voice that calls your name
Not a light or burst of flame
Just a trembling in the line
Hinting something right on time
[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t need to chase the sound
When it’s moving through the ground
Let it come, don’t interfere
Truth is closer when it’s near
[Refrain]
Put your ear to the rail
(Listen to hear)
How far along the trail
(’til the station’s near)
Put your ear to the rail
(Feel it appear)
Reading the hidden trail
(It’s already here)
[Bridge]
Steel remembers every turn
Every mile, every burn
Carries forward what has been
To where you’re waiting in between
And if you trust what you can’t see
There’s a kind of clarity
In the quiet, in the ground
Where the truest things are found
[Final Refrain]
Put your ear to the rail
(Listen to hear)
How far along the trail
(’til the station’s near)
Put your ear to the rail
(Nothing to fear)
Follow the living trail
(It’s already here)
[Outro]
You can hear…
(before it gets here)
About the Song
Putting your ear to a railroad rail works to detect approaching trains because sound travels faster and farther through steel than through air. Steel conducts vibrations from a train’s wheels better than air, allowing you to hear it earlier.
Spare the Rod
[Intro]
What if strength meant choosing not to strike…
(Forego dropping the mic)
[Verse 1]
Raised on echoes of “be tough”
Where silence always felt enough
But every bruise beneath the skin
Starts a war that never ends
Words can cut or words can mend
What you choose will echo then
Every moment, every breath
Leans toward life or leans toward death
[Pre-Chorus]
There’s a line you don’t have to cross
There’s a win that isn’t loss
Hands can hold or hands can harm
Power doesn’t need an arm
[Chorus]
Spare the rod
(Spare the rail)
Rare the god
(To impale)
Break the code
(End the tale)
Choose the road
(Where we prevail)
[Verse 2]
Cycles turn from hand to hand
Passed along, we understand
But knowing doesn’t mean you must
Keep repeating what was unjust
Every child, every cry
Teaches how the lines apply
And every chance to shift the way
Builds a kinder yesterday
[Pre-Chorus]
You can stop it where you stand
Rewrite it with an open hand
Not by fear, not by control
But by seeing someone whole
[Chorus]
Spare the rod
(Spare the rail)
Rare the god
(To impale)
Break the code
(End the tale)
Choose the road
(Where we prevail)
[Bridge]
If pain is all we’ve ever known
It feels like truth carved into stone
But stones can shift and walls can fall
We don’t have to build them all
Let it end with what you choose
Not with what you’d always lose
Every moment, every breath
Can lean away from needless death
[Final Chorus]
Spare the rod
(Spare the rail)
Rare the god
(To impale)
Break the code
(End the tale)
Choose the road
(Where we prevail)
Spare the rod
(Let love prevail)
Hold the line
(We won’t derail)
[Outro]
Choose…
(Choose again…)
Let love begin
Frail
[Intro]
It doesn’t take much… to break
(Best to give instead of take)
Invite love in the way we feel
(For real to heal)
[Verse 1]
We build walls out of delay
Say we’ll try another day
Every moment slips between
What we feel and what we mean
Time keeps moving, doesn’t wait
While we hesitate, debate
All the things we never say
Fade like light at end of day
[Pre-Chorus]
If we’re standing on the edge
Of every word we never said
Maybe now’s the time to try
Before it passes drifting by
[Chorus]
Is our life so frail
(We can’t find the time)
To let our love prevail
(Thought the time is prime)
Are we set to fail
(Or just out of rhyme)
Holding back the scale
(When the signs align)
[Verse 2]
Every fracture starts so small
Barely there at all
But left alone it finds a way
To slowly pull apart the day
Still there’s something in the air
Saying maybe we could care
More than fear and more than pride
Let it open, step inside
[Pre-Chorus]
If we let the moment lead
Not by doubt but by the need
We might find a clearer view
Of what we always knew
[Refrain]
Fra, fra, fra-rail
(We can all get strong)
Pr, pr, prevail
(We can all get along)
Fra, fra, fra-rail
(It won’t take too long)
Pr, pr, prevail
(If we right the wrong)
[Bridge]
Nothing’s permanent but change
Nothing’s fixed, it rearranges
Even fragile things can bend
And find a way to start again
If we meet it where it stands
Not with force but open hands
There’s a chance we don’t derail
Even if we’re feeling frail
[Final Chorus]
Is our life so frail
(We can’t find the time)
To let our love prevail
(Thought the time is prime)
We can tip the scale
(If our hearts align)
Break out of the veil
(Leave the fear behind)
[Final Refrain]
Fra, fra, fra-rail
(We can all get strong)
Pr, pr, prevail
(We can all get along)
[Outro]
Not so frail…
(We will prevail)
We know why…
(if we try…)
Rollin’ ‘Round the Bend
[Intro]
Hear that rhythm…?
(Clickity-clack, clickity-clack)
That’s our algorithm
(Clickity-clack, clickity-clack)
… might never be coming back
[Verse 1]
Sun dips low on the iron line
Shadows stretch like borrowed time
Every mile got a tale to tell
Every turn rings a different bell
Dust and dreams in a boxcar seat
Heartbeat syncing with the beat
Not chasing fast, just letting go
Where it leads, I’ll never know
[Pre-Chorus]
Round that curve, the world unwinds
Leaves the noise of life behind
What you lose and what you find
Blends together in your mind
[Refrain]
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Rollin’ ’round the bend)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Take me to the end)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Where the tracks descend)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Then begin again)
[Verse 2]
Every face a passing glance
Every stop a second chance
Names don’t matter out this way
Just the night and break of day
Moonlight paints the rails in blue
Everything feels close to true
Not a plan I need to keep
Just the rhythm running deep
[Pre-Chorus]
Hear the whistle call your name
Nothing here stays quite the same
But the motion feels like home
Even when you’re all alone
[Refrain]
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Rollin’ ’round the bend)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Take me to the end)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Where the tracks descend)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Then begin again)
[Bridge]
If the line should fade away
Would I still know how to stay?
Or is motion all I need
To believe in where I’m freed?
Every turn a leap of faith
Every mile a new embrace
No arrival carved in stone
Just the road to call our own
[Final Refrain]
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Rollin’ ’round the bend)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Take me to the end)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(Where the rails transcend)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin
(No need to pretend)
[Outro]
Still rollin’…
(’round the bend…)
… to … The End
The Wheel Deal
[Intro]
It’s not luck… it’s design
(Feels oh so fine)
Get the getaway notion
(Precision in motion)
[Beat locks in, hi-hat ticks like rails passing]
[Verse 1]
Rolling on a measured line
Every turn is by design
Not a guess, not chance or feel
It’s geometry in steel
Tapered edges meet the rail
Balancing without a fail
Shift the weight, adjust the span
Guided by a hidden plan
[Pre-Chorus]
Left and right, a subtle sway
Different paths but same array
Outer arc and inner glide
Working both on either side
[Chorus]
Inner flange and a conical shape
(Smooth navigation)
So your speed will not escape
(Loco-generation)
Rolling steady, no delay
(Self-alignment)
Turning curves without a break
(Perfect timing)
[Verse 2]
Wider path, the wheel expands
Narrow side still understands
Difference in the diameters
Turns the line with silent gears
No sharp pivot, no hard strain
Just a shift along the plane
One side leads, the other yields
All within the spinning wheels
[Pre-Chorus]
Micro-changes, barely seen
Keep the motion running clean
Every curve becomes a flow
More than most will ever know
[Chorus]
Inner flange and a conical shape
(Smooth navigation)
So your speed will not escape
(Loco-generation)
Hold the line, don’t oscillate
(Self-stabilizing)
Guide the motion, regulate
(Optimizing)
[Bridge]
Not by force and not by chance
But by form and circumstance
Angles meeting, forces blend
Keeping motion to the end
Every contact, every spin
Carries balance deep within
Silent math beneath the steel
Turns the track into the wheel
[Final Chorus]
Inner flange and a conical shape
(Smooth navigation)
So your speed will not escape
(Loco-generation)
Engineered to compensate
(Self-correction)
Keeping every path in place
(Track connection)
[Outro]
Ride the line…
(design divine…)
About the Song
Train wheels fit on tracks using a tapered, conical shape and an inner flange, which together ensure stability, self-centering, and smooth navigation around curves. These tapered wheels enable the train to turn by creating varying diameters, while the flange prevents derailment.
Jumped
[Intro]
You felt it coming… didn’t you?
(Come on, tell me true)
Figure it out somehow?
(Yeah… too late now)
[Beat snaps into place]
[Verse 1]
Lines were drawn but you stepped wide
Something pulled you from inside
Signals flashing, red then black
Still you never turned it back
Every warning, every sign
Faded out between the lines
What you knew just slipped away
As you crossed into the gray
[Pre-Chorus]
There’s a moment, split in two
Where it’s done before you knew
No returning, no control
Just momentum taking hold
[Chorus]
Jumped the rails
(Off the tracks)
It never fails
(Facts are the facts)
Lost the scale
(No turning back)
Tipped the tale
(Into the black)
[Verse 2]
Gravity forgot your name
Nothing’s steady, nothing’s the same
Every step’s a tilted floor
Leading somewhere never before
Truth distorts and bends its frame
You can’t even place the blame
Cause and effect unwind
Leaving fragments in your mind
[Pre-Chorus]
Feel the friction, feel the slide
Like the ground just opened wide
No direction left to choose
Only what you’re bound to lose
[Chorus]
Jumped the rails
(Off the tracks)
It never fails
(Facts are the facts)
Crossed the veil
(Reality cracks)
Told the tale
(In scattered acts)
[Bridge]
One step over, nothing’s clear
Every echo draws you near
To a place you didn’t plan
Built from everything you ran
You can fight it, you can spin
But you’re already within
Every second pulling fast
Future tangled in the past
[Final Chorus]
Jumped the rails
(Off the tracks)
It never fails
(Facts are the facts)
Burned the trail
(No going back)
Sealed the tale
(Fused to the act)
[Outro]
Jumped…
(off the…)
rails…
(Happy trails)