If i could go down now While the whole town is sleeping See the sun creeping up on the hill I know the river and the railroad Would run through the valley still I guess it never was much to look at Just a one-horse town The kind of place young people want to leave today Store fronts pretty much boarded up Main street pretty much closed down The church bell still rings on sunday Old folks still go The young ones listen on the radio Saturday night nothing but a stray dog running wild Like nobody's child And little by little, light after light That's how it died They say you never go home again That's no lie Its like a letter in the mail To a brother in jail It's a matter of time Until you can do a little bit better time
It used to be part of the heartland Awful proud and strong But deep, deep down peaceful and serene When people used to talk about the country That's what they used to mean I might go down come the weekend Go on my own Drop off annie and the baby Maybe drive alone Pay my last respects to a time That has all but gone We said, mama come look at the mountain Fire in the sky It's lit up like the fourth of july The mill burning down The jobs leaving town The trains rolling by And little by little, light after light That's how it died They say you never go home again That's no lie It's just a letter in the mail To a brother in jail It's a matter of time Until you can do a little bit better time