I drive the loop from dawn to late
I know the city and its fate
I saw a car by the jazz door
A rusty relic from the war
It sits out there in the cold gray
Waiting for the light of the day
The brass is loud in the basement
A golden sound and a replacement
Rusty steel in the midnight glow
Watching all the city lights flow
Rusty steel on a dead end street
Moving to a syncopated beat
The paint is peeling off the hood
The engine hums just like it should
It smells of diesel and old tea
The kind of ride that sets you free
It sits out there in the cold gray
Waiting for the light of the day
The brass is loud in the basement
A golden sound and a replacement
Rusty steel in the midnight glow
Watching all the city lights flow
Rusty steel on a dead end street
Moving to a syncopated beat
I told the kid a story true
About the roads that I once knew
The freight car knows where the wind goes
Where the deep Chicago river flows
Shift the gear and feel the snap
Break the chain and break the trap
No more fares and no more lines
Just the road and lucky signs
Rusty steel in the midnight glow
Watching all the city lights flow
Rusty steel on a dead end street
Moving to a syncopated beat
The sax is wailing through the vent
The midnight air is heavy scent
The iron frame begins to sway
I think I'll drive the miles away
Rusty steel in the midnight glow
Watching all the city lights flow
Rusty steel on a dead end street
Moving to a syncopated beat
Keep the meter running fast
Make the velvet feeling last Rusty steel, yeah
Ride on home.
