He parks the cab by the gravel road
A heavy heart and a heavy load
The desert air is a dry white heat
The salt is crusting on the empty street
He sees the porch of the motel stay
Where yellow lamps wash the dark away
A wooden swing and a rusted chain
He remembers things that he can't explain
Oh that golden light on the veranda floor
He is knocking now on a closed-up door
Yellow glow that burns in the velvet night
Holding on tight to a dying light
He counts the miles on the dashboard glass
Watching the ghost of the highway pass
The leather seat has a worn out tear
He smells the sage in the evening air
Oh that golden light on the veranda floor
He is knocking now on a closed-up door
Yellow glow that burns in the velvet night
Holding on tight to a dying light
The choir sang of a city street
Where all the broken and the lonely meet
He hears the hymn in the engine hum
Waiting for the better day to come
He wipes the chrome with a greasy rag
The spirit sinks like a heavy flag
But there is a spark in the amber haze
Bringing him back to the older days
He turns the key and he starts the ride
With a secret hope that he keeps inside
The road is long and the wind is cold
But he is chasing that Santa Fe gold
Oh that golden light on the veranda floor
He is knocking now on a closed-up door
Yellow glow that burns in the velvet night
Holding on tight to a dying light
Santa Fe gold, just a golden glow
Slow it down now, let the engine go
Santa Fe gold
