Driving the last spike
Leaving my family behind meNot knowing what lay aheadWaving good-bye, as I left them in tearsRemembering all we'd said
I looked to the sky, I offered my prayersI asked Him for guidance and strengthBut the simple beliefs of a simple manLay in his hands and on my head
I gave everything that they wantedBut still they wanted moreWe sweat and we toiledGood men lost their livesI don't think they knew what for
I sold them my heart, I sold them my soulI gave everything I hadBut they couldn't break my spiritMy dignity fought back, fightbackCan you hear me, can you see?Don't you hear me, don't you see?
We worked in gangs for all we were worthThe young boys pulling the wagonsWe were digging the tunnel, shifting the earthIt was then that it happened
Noone knew how the cracks appearedBut as it fell they all disappearedStone fell like rain
Can you hear me, can you see?Don't you hear me, can you breathe?
The smoke cleared, the dust it settledNoone knew how many had diedAll around there wer broken menThey'd said it was safe, they'd liedYou could hear the cries, you could smell the fearBut good fortune that day was mineAnd it occured to me the heart of a good manIt seems is hard to find
Can you hear me, can you see?Don't you hear me, don't you see?
We worked, how we worked likeThe devil for our payTrough the wind, through the snowAnd through the rain
Blasting and cutting through God's country like a knifeSweat stinging in my eyes, there has to be a better life
But I can see my children cryI can see the tears in her eyesMemories of those I've left behindStill ringing in my earsWill I ever go bakc againWill I ever see her face againI'll never forget that nightAs they waved good-bye to their fathers
We came from the SouthWe came from the NorthWith picks and with spadesAnd a new kind of orderShowing no fear of what lies up aheadThey'll never see the likes of us again
Driving the last spikeLifiting and laying the trackWith blistering handsThe sun burning your back
But I can see my children cryI can see the tears in her eyesMemories of those I've left behindStill ringing in my earsWill I ever go bakc againWill I ever see her face againI'll always remember that nightAs they waved good-bye to their fathers
We followed the rail, we slept under the starsDigging in darkness, living with dangerShowing no fear of what lies up aheadThey'll never see the likes of us again