All Aboard
The Del McCoury Band Lyrics

I can feel the wheels are turning underneath my feet
I am aware of the motion of the train beneath me as I travel

As I pull the shade down on my window seat
I obscure my view from the outside world by lowering the shade on my window

Praying where I'm going is better than where I've been
I hope that my destination is more favorable than mypast experiences

Then a stranger sits down as if he's right at home
An unfamiliar person takes a seat as though it was his own

Touches me and says, "I see you're traveling alone
The stranger makes physical contact to initiate conversation and observes my solo journey

And by the way, son, you forgot to say amen
The stranger corrects me on the proper way to end a prayer

He says, "I guess there's something here I need to explain I try to talk to everyone riding this train Some of them listen, but most don't pay me no mind"
The stranger claims he has a message to share with everyone, but most are not receptive

And the train keeps rolling And the world keeps turning All aboard, all aboard Everybody's gotta get on board
Life goes on and everyone must participate in it

Take that woman with the frown sitting 'cross the aisle With her briefcase open, nigh on 90 miles She never even noticed that lake back at Horseshoe Bend
The singer directs attention to a woman preoccupied with her work and failing to appreciate her surroundings

And that couple with the kids at the front of the car Fussing all the way ?bout some cookie jar I'm gonna ask them what they saw at their journey's end
The musician intends to inquire with a couple that argues about a jar of cookies about their intended destination

And there's a fellow I left sitting in the back Keeps a smile on his face through a paper sack Looking out the window, but he can't see past the pain
A man in the back of the train, despite his outward joviality, appears to be suffering

Then the train slows down unexpectedly As I raise my blind, he slaps my knee Saying, "This is my stop, son, but you won't be traveling alone"
The train abruptly decelerates, causing the stranger to bid farewell to the singer and implying that potentially other people will join the journey

I look out my window to wave him goodbye But there's nobody there, just a light in the sky I lose my breath, and my blood runs cold as stone
The singer is left bewildered when he finds no trace of the man who disembarks from the stopped train

Then I feel the wheels turning underneath my feet But life looks different from my window seat Knowing where I?m going is better than where I've been
The singer processes the aftermath of the strange encounter and holds onto the hope of a better future