If it should happen like this:
That one day you are gone
And I myself still hanging on,
I will break down in tears
When I hear the news
I will be listening one more time
To your ragged song.

I will sing lightly, gliding on
The quiet thunder of your voice
Not diluting your expression
Nor can I forget a word.
Melodic phrases mount and ride
Valley descants, rising hills
As steel rails hum, we sing along
To hard time working blues.

Soul companion for so long
But I will never come to know
The weights and daily burdens that you raise.
And if one day you will be gone
And I'm still standing in the rain
I will not claim to know you, nor say to anyone
That I caught you in the distance
Reaching out to recreate
The delicacy of your song on stage.

But for myself I take the stand
And trust in all its certainty
To recognize the hum of rails
Vibrations of approaching trains,
The metal wheels that churn your mind
Intoning their redemption, sighs of pain.

And I will harmonize with them
While I remember, just as long
As I am standing by your tracks -
If ever you are gone.