Spell of Leaves

Lyrics

I was standing somewhere east of Swannanoa
Thinking ‘bout a caved-in railroad tunnel.

Well the barn owl squalled, the tunnel's gone, man. Nobody left at all.
Old songs, they flood these hills like kudzu.

And roll, baby roll... chugging up these Old Fort loops.
Yeah, blow whistle blow, the “land of the sky” was only half the truth.

They rebuilt it after the war, but the bodies lined the tracks.
Non-porous resorts for tourist sorts, couldn't hold those waters back.

They built monuments to capital, but they forgot the men who died.
Yeah, cause they all called them convicts, but we know that that's a lie.

And so we say "roll, baby roll," chugging up these Old Fort loops.
Yeah blow whistle blow. The "land of the sky" was only half the truth.
Well, the tunnel’s gone, it’s all caved in, only dust remains.
Well, the engines of redemption had their grades fade away.

Well it rained all day, it rained all night, the rivers they did swell.
Water bust out of the mountain, like a ghost train straight from hell.

Well, I heard those winds a’ howling like an engine cursin’ steam.
The old timers left reminders about nineteen sixteen.

Roll baby roll, chugging up those Old Fort loops.
Yeah, blow whistle blow, the "land of the sky" was only half the truth.
Well the tunnel’s gone, it's all caved in, only rust remains.
And the engines of redemption have their grades fade away.