I had a job, I had a girl

Had something going, mister, in this world

I got laid off down at the yard

Our love went bad, times got hard

Now I work down at the car wash

Where all it ever does is rain

Don't you feel like you're a rider

On a downbound train?

She just said, "Joe, I gotta go

We had it once, we ain't got it anymore"

She packed her bags, left me behind

She bought a ticket on the Central Line

Nights as I sleep, I hear that whistle whining

I feel her kiss in the misty rain

And I feel like I'm a rider

On a downbound train

Last night, I heard your voice

You were cry-crying, oh so alone

Said your love had never died

You were waiting for me at home

Put on my jacket, ran through the woods

Ran 'til I thought my chest would explode

There in the clearing, beyond the highway

In the moonlight, our wedding house shone

I rushed through the yard, I burst through the front door

Head pounding hard, up the stairs I climbed

The room was dark, our bed was empty, then I heard that long whistle whine

And I dropped to my knees, hung my head and cried

Now I swing a sledgehammer

Working in the pouring rain

Now don't it feel like you're a rider

On a downbound train?