Ride On
D. A. R. Lyrics

Casey joins the hollow sound of silent people walking down
Casey joins a group of people walking down the stairs to the subway. They are not speaking, and the only sound is their footsteps.

The stairway to the subway in the shadows down below
The staircase is dark and shadowy, leading down to the subway.

Following their footsteps through the neon-darkened corridors
Casey follows the footsteps of the people through the dimly-lit corridors of the subway station.

Of silent desperation, never speakin' to a soul
The people and Casey are in a state of sadness and hopelessness, and nobody is speaking to each other.

The poison air he's breathin' has the dirty smell of dying
The air in the subway station is polluted and smells like death.

'Cause it's never seen the sunshine and it's never felt the rain
The air in the subway station is stale and has never been refreshed by the outdoors.

But Casey minds the arrows and ignores the fatal echoes
Casey follows the directions and signs in the subway station, and ignores the ominous sounds around him.

Of the clickin' of the turnstiles and the rattle of his chains
There are sounds of turnstiles clicking and loud rattling noises, possibly coming from Casey's chains.

"Oh" she said, "Casey it's been so long since I've seen you"
A woman greets Casey and tells him it's been a long time since they've seen each other.

"Here" she said, "just a kiss to make a body smile"
The woman gives Casey a kiss, hoping it will bring him some happiness.

"See" she said, "I've put on new stockings just to please you"
The woman is wearing new stockings to impress Casey.

"Lord" she said, "Casey can you only stay a while?"
The woman asks Casey if he can only stay for a short time.

Casey leaves the under-ground and stops inside the Golden Crown
Casey exits the subway and goes to a place called the Golden Crown.

For something wet to wipe away the chill that's on his bone
Casey orders a drink to warm himself up.

Seeing his reflection in the lives of all the lonely men
Casey sees his own reflection in the other lonely men around him.

Who reach for any thing they can to keep from goin' home
The other lonely men try to distract themselves from their unhappiness by seeking any form of comfort.

Standin' in the corner Casey drinks his pint of bitter
Casey stands in a corner and drinks his beer.

Never glancing in the mirror at the people passing by
Casey avoids looking at the other people in the bar who are passing by.

Then he stumbles as he's leaving and he wonders if the reason
As he is leaving, Casey stumbles and wonders what caused him to trip.

Is the beer that's in his belly, or the tear that's in his eye
Casey is not sure if he stumbled because of the beer he drank or because he is feeling emotional.

"Oh" she said, "I suppose you seldom think about me
The woman tells Casey that she assumes he doesn't think about her very often.

"Now" she said, "now that you've a family of your own"
The woman points out that Casey has started a family of his own.

"Still" she said, "it's so blessed good to feel your body"
The woman is happy to be close to Casey again, even if only for a short time.

"Lord" she said" "Casey it's a shame to be alone"
The woman feels that being alone is a sad and unfortunate thing.