Wolf Kroeger - Black Chrome

Strange words from another age lingered in my mind as I awoke to the barren dunes of a desert
They succeeded one another like waves wiping the windowpane
The wagon was fast asleep, and the stars still tinseled the sky
A glow crowned the horizon
And intensified as our convoy traversed rocky outcrops on its ascent towards it

As the train rolled over the hump, a metropolis blossomed from the valley below
Orbs flowed on roads that spread like veins between twinkling monolithic beasts
They were breathing, alive in light and color
I was mesmerized by the glimmering spectacle until it all came into focus as we approached the station
Under the mighty spires laid an eclectic mix of architecture
It was beautiful in its archaic and precarious nature
But forewarned of a ruthless hierarchy at play
Dirty rags ornated the windows of ghostly facades that lined and trapped the last bits of track

Finally, the pull of the crying brakes clasped onto our chests
And met an abrupt clunk
After a few seconds soaked in stillness, a screeching roll resonated throughout the car
And I was overwhelmed by a sea of men
A sea of tight fists, sharp elbows, grasping nails, and cutting words, which had drowned all traces of humanity
We pushed and tugged until we spewed out the shaken doors like sheep out of a pen
The maddened herd rushed through the station in a wild rumpus and dissipated

Steam and fog sprawled back onto the
empty platform, and a balmy drizzle fell soft and steady
I saw a face appear from the shadows in the flash of a matchstick's glow
The lone silhouette was leaning against an automobile and gave me a cold look
A crimson crackle pierced through the smoke
I'll take you where the night never sleeps
He spurted, almost mechanically, and walked around the lustrous chunk of metal
Although he was just another cabbie, I could not shake the feeling that he had been waiting for me
But what else was I to do

The door closed with a muffled thump
With it, all the sounds of the world were sucked out
All the sounds but a morose bellow, surfacing from the asphalt ocean below
And the heavy beat of my heart sinking into the backseat of the midnight interior
All around, scattered glints of chrome shone amidst black felt and leather

The machine ran at a steady pace, and streaks of light cut through the still darkness in front of me
Chasing shadows along the panels of the car
As we progressed toward the center of the city
The dirty monotone streetlight beams turned into a dance of candy-colored neon daggers
I caught a few licking his pale, stern face
His eyes were glazed in reflections of the rainy street, one which he must have seen countless times before
His gaze remained impenetrable, a mask painted by too many lonely nights behind the wheel
He had heard all the tales a city pavement could recount and didn't want to hear any more
I could tell and did not utter a single word, leaving the silence be
At the end of a string of empty sidewalks, an oasis of life came in sight
I had arrived

Written by:
Wolf Kroeger

Publisher:
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid

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