For one last time I played "The Jitterbug Waltz"
Until my fingers grew numb
(A long farewell recital to the bare walls)
I sold my last possession
Held onto it for as long as I could
And traded my piano for a tape deck
(So nothing could hold me back anymore)
For one whole year I did nothing but drive
Back and forth across the country
Waiting for the money to run out
The speed was the essence
And I was constantly rushing forward through space
A hunger to be fed at any price
I closed my eyes and jumped
Without the slightest tremor of fear
The miles pile up just like the hours
A peculiar way to make amends, yes
Not considering the consequence
I paid off all my debts
Held a toast in my own honour and left
Spent seven years a fireman
Only two a father
I understood how little it mattered what choices i made:
I've been nothing but a voice to her
So let her have all she possibly wants
Even a swingset in the backyard
Too many things had been set in motion
So as long as i don't turn back
I could just as well be invisible
A hunger to be fed at any price
I closed my eyes and jumped
Without the slightest tremor of fear
The miles pile up just like the hours
Not far from Millbrook, I had already been lost for a while
A young man covered with welts and bruises
Hardly keeping up
He heard me coming from the sound of the shifting gears
And for better or worse
That was how the whole business started
One fine morning at the end of summer