Genesis - Driving The Last Spike Lyrics
In the early 1800s, large groups of mainly unskilled labourers built englands railways. the cost in human terms alone was very high...Leaving my family behind meNot knowing what lay aheadWaving goodbye, as I left them in tearsRemembering all wed saidI 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 headI gave everything that they wantedBut still they wanted moreWe sweat and we toiledGood men lost their livesI dont think they knew what forI sold them my heartI sold them my soulI gave everything I hadAh but they couldnt break my spiritMy dignity fought back,FightbackCan you hear meCan you seeDont you hear meDont you seeWe 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.No-one knew how the cracks appearedBut as it fell they all disappearedStone fell like rainCan you hear me,Can you seeDont you hear meCan you breatheThe smoke cleared, the dust it settledNo one knew how many had diedAll around there were broken menTheyd said it was safe, theyd liedYou could hear the cries, you could smell the fearBut good fortune that day was mineAnd it occurred to me the heart of a good manIt seems is hard to find.Can you hear me,Can you seeDont you hear meDont you seeWe worked, how we worked likeThe devil for our payThrough the wind, through the snow,And through the rainBlasting and cutting through gods country like a knifeSweat stinging my eyes, there has to be a better lifeAh but I can hear my childrens cryI can see the tears in their eyesMemories of those Ive left behindStill ringing in my earsWill I ever go back againWill I ever see her face againIll never forget that nightAs they waved goodbye to their fathersWe came from the north,And we came from the southWith picks and with spadesAnd a new kind of orderShowing no fear of what lies up aheadTheyll never see the likes of us againDriving the last spike,Lifting and laying the trackWith blistering hands,The sun burning your backOh but I can hear my childrens cryI can see the tears in their eyesMemories of those Ive left behindStill ringing in my earsWell Ill always remember that night,As they waved goodbye to their fathersWe followed the rail, we slept under the starsDigging in darkness, and living with dangerShowing no fear of what lies up aheadTheyll never see the likes of us againCan you hear meCan you seeDont you hear meDont you see
