Take Me Away

That's how they found him

He was howling at the moon

He's sitting right there on the railway tracks

And the train was coming

There was a string of wild flowers

Draped around his collar

And when he saw the men were coming for him

Well, he began to holler

He cried, "Take me away, take me away"

But the men could not be sure

If he was talking to them or talking to the oncoming train

Now his mama she watched religion on the TV

Each day from dawn to dusk

And at night when she'd hear him howling

Well, she'd cried to Jesus

For years she begged the Sweet Redeemer

To heal her crazy son

Until finally she just gave up on miracles

And called the men to come

She told them, "Take him away, take my son away

'Cause after 20 long years

I've simply run out prayers to pray"

But as he stood to fight the men

From the other side of the railway bed

He thought he heard the calling voice

Of an old friend he thought long dead

But when he turned away from the men

He found it was a stranger calling him

And as if he knew that man

He smiled and raised his hand

As he stepped into the golden sun

Of the headlight of the oncoming train

And as he did he locked eyes with that stranger

He cried out one last time

He cried, "Take me away, please, take me away"

And to this day in this little town

Not a soul knows what he was trying to say

All them years of shouting take me away

No, no one knows what he was trying to say

Or who that stranger was