In the Kingdom #19

[Intro] They were [Verse 1] He did what he had to do He asked no questions He had few conversations The tar glistens in the noon heat He tread across the grass, up onto, and down off of, the concrete abutments Mirage on the highway Ghosts in the tunnel The dark cave Out into the blinding light of day at breakneck speed Every bolt rumbling Glistening highway mirage groans The slick surface Careening into first the small mammal, and then screeching along the guard Rail, scraping paint and throwing sparks like sheets of pure terror for 400 yards over and over With one final back and forth rocking motion coming to rest The beautiful paint job hopelessly marred Smoke and flames [Verse 2] Alright So nice He moved to the small creature Screeching whistles of steam blowing off On it's back, wheels spinning like a cinema classic The door sags open and a man covered in blood drops the three feet or so to The pavement The car still rattling and shaking as if with a mind of it's own, unwilling To die The man, 40ish, also after a time, an agonisingly painful period of time Is also unwilling to die [Verse 3] Suddenly all is quite quiet there in the sunlight on the highway But what? what can I do? I cannot move, everything is about broken Blood everywhere, mixing with oil and gas What's moving, must turn my head Pain, white light, blinded Some guy there kneeling in the blinded mirage of white light All my strength to 'help' Screaming now help me please He tried to tamp out the bit of burning ember which had lept from the wreck Onto his grimy coat sleeve Coughing blood What's happen? He's he's inching towards truth He strode of into the woods with the animal It still lived He didn't glance back at all [Verse 4] Still out ghosting the road Death on the highway Words crumble around me and fall with the weight of heaven I cannot move I'm beneath the great weight I cannot see My eyes are blinded I am in the darkness That's it [Chorus] In panic I forget it In despair I need it In my mind I save it In death I have it [Bridge] In panic I forget it In despair I need it I shouldn't laugh [Chorus] [Outro] Never gave a damn about the meterman I was the man who had to read the meters, man