Lyrics
[Verse 1] Iron teeth turned to orange scales
Rotten wood where the iron fails
Thistles grow through the jagged spine
Nobody works the line
[Pre-Chorus] But the wind carries a different chime
Stolen out from the hands of time
Keep your lantern held real low
Don't you watch the coal smoke grow
[Chorus] There's a phantom whistle in the valley
Silver steam in the alley
They are coming home
They are never alone
Ticket holders with the hollow eyes
Boarding under quiet skies
Watch the ghosts step on
Watch the heavy freight be gone
[Verse 2] Foreign figures walking on Main Street
Quiet rhythm in their pacing feet
Shadows left when the sun starts breaking
Borrowed time for the taking
[Pre-Chorus] Still the wind carries a different chime
Stolen out from the hands of time
Keep your lantern held real low
Don't you watch the coal smoke grow
[Chorus] There's a phantom whistle in the valley
Silver steam in the alley
They are coming home
They are never alone
Ticket holders with the hollow eyes
Boarding under quiet skies
Watch the ghosts step on
Watch the heavy freight be gone
[Bridge] Strangers listen and they walk the ridge
Hanging close to the trestle bridge
Searching for a ride to the other side
Where the broken engines hide
But if you jump that boxcar door
We won't see you anymore
[Chorus] There's a phantom whistle in the valley
Silver steam in the alley
They are coming home
They are never alone
Ticket holders with the hollow eyes
Boarding under quiet skies
Watch the ghosts step on
Watch the heavy freight be gone