Dust in the meadow, smoke on the mountainside There's an air of desperation coming across the great divide Thunder rolling, shaking the valley down But it ain't the second coming, man, that's drumming up that sound No, it's the train of broken dreams, run on misery and woe Come to take you downtrodden when you ain't got no place to go And there'll be no mistaking when you hear that whistle whine You're standing at the station in the ruination line Tell you, brother, I can't get no sleep There's heretics in the Capitol and heroes on the street In this corporate prison, what for is my bail? It's one twenty nine a barrel, son—your freedom is for sale Well, they give me excuses, they give me their word And it's hard to give a damn when you're unemployed and uninsured Can't afford to pay no doctor or no ambulance ride Standing at the station in the ruination line Drive your mule, boy, up that field and back Well, you gotta earn your keep here, make no doubt about that fact Ain't no time for stalling, no time for to waste No time for your lost soul just to try to find its place Now all I ever wanted was a little peace and quiet And a stash of my own, and a good girl to hold tight But now I'm broke, dry, and dirty; my good love passed me by Feel I'm primed and ready for that ruination line So lay my head down on that rail And maybe she can ease my mind Pray she moves me swiftly down the ruination line