letter in the mail

Singer: james taylor

if i could go down now while the whole town is sleeping

see the sun creeping up on the hill

i know the river and the railroad would run through the valley still. i guess it never was much to look at

just a one-horse town

the kind of place young people want to leave today

store fronts pretty much boarded up

main street pretty much closed down. the church bell still rings on sunday

old folks still go

the young ones listen on the radio. saturday night nothing but a stray dog running wild like nobody's child. and little by little

light after light

that's how it died. they say you never go home again

that's no lie. its like a letter in the mail to a brother in jail

it's a matter of time until you can do a little bit better time. it used to be part of the heartland

awful proud and strong. but deep

deep down peaceful and serene. when people used to talk about the country that's what they used to mean. i might go down come the weekend

go on my own

drop off annie and the baby

maybe drive alone. pay my last respects to a time that has all but gone. we said

mama come look at the mountain

fire in the sky

it's lit up like the fourth of july

the mill burning down

the jobs leaving town

the trains rolling by. and little by little

light after light

that's how it died. they say you never go home again

that's no lie. its like a letter in the mail to a brother in jail

it's a matter of time until you can do a little bit better time.

Lyric Context: letter in the mail - james taylor