Lyrics
Mothers, fathers, babes in arms,
Parents and infants, making efforts to protect from harm
Try our best to keep them safe from harm
Striving to keep loved ones safe
But that long, black train comes for us all
The inevitable approach of death represented by the long, black train
Rich man, poor man, sinner man, saint,
Regardless of social status or morality
It don't who you are, child, or who you ain't
Death doesn't discriminate based on identity
That long, black train comes for us all
Death comes for everyone
You can try to bargain, you can try to pray,
Attempts to negotiate or pray in the face of death
You can say some business about Judgement day
References to religious notions of Judgment Day
But the only one truth that you're bound to find
Universal truth that everyone has only one life
is we all got one shot, so you might as well be kind
Advocacy for kindness as life's purpose
Times are changing, oh so fast
Emphasis on the rapid pace of societal change
Know the sweetness never lasts
Acknowledgment that the joyous moments are fleeting
That long, black train, comes for us all
Reiteration of the inescapable nature of death
Doctor, lawyer, beggar man, thief,
Listing diverse professions, emphasizing equality in death
you can cover up your eyes or look on in disbelief
Options to ignore or confront the reality of death
You can hide under your bed, shake your fist up at the sky
Various ways people cope with the inevitability of death
But sooner or later, child, we're all gonna die
Reminder that everyone will face death eventually
Listen well to what I say,
Emphasizing the uncertainty of the timing of death
You can't know the hour, you can't guess the day
Highlighting the unpredictability of death
When the long, black train comes for us all
Reiteration of the certainty of death's arrival
Things fall apart, I been told,
Reference to the inevitability of change and instability
Oh the center does not hold
Quoting the idea that things fall apart
And that ground you walk on will shift like sand
Instability in life, represented by shifting ground
So hold tight to your love and give all you can.
Encouragement to hold onto love and give selflessly
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