Downbound Train (Nebraska Outtakes)

I had a job, I had a girl
I had something going, mister, in this world
I got laid off down at the auto yard
Our love went bad, times got hard

Well, now I work down at the car wash
Where all it ever does is rain
Sometimes, don't you feel like you're a rider
Only on a downbound train?

She just said, "Joe, I gotta go
We had it once, we ain't got it any more"
She packed her bags, left me behind
She bought a ticket on the Central Line

Nights as I sleep, I still hear the whistle whining
I feel her soft kiss in the misty morning rain
Sometimes don't you feel likе you're a rider
Only on a downbound train?

Last night, I heard her voicе
You were crying, crying, you were so alone
You said your love had never died
And you were waiting for me at home

Well, I put on my jacket, I ran through the woods
I ran 'til I thought my chest would explode
There in a clearing beyond the highway
There in the moonlight, our wedding house shone

I rushed through the yard, I burst through the front door
My head pounding hard, up the stairs I climbed
The room was dark, our bed was empty
And then I heard that long whistle whine
And then I dropped to my knees
Hung my head and cried

Now I swing a sledgehammer on a railroad gang
Knocking down them cross ties, working in the rain
Sometimes, don't you feel like you're a rider
Only on a downbound train?