Thrasher
Neil Young
They were hiding behind hay bales They were planting in the Full Moon They had given all they had for something new But the light of day was on them They could see the thrasher coming And the water shone like diamonds in the dew. And I was just getting up To hit the road before its light trying to catch an hour on the sun When I saw those thrashers rolling by Looking more than two lanes wide I was feeling like my day had just begun. Where the eagles glide descending There’s an ancient river bending Down the timeless gorge of changes where sleeplessness awaits I searched out my companions who were lost in crystal canyons When the aimless blade of science slashed the pearly gates It was then I knew I’d had enough burned my credit card for fuel Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand With a one-way ticket to the land of truth and my suitcase in my hand. How I lost my friends I still dont understand. They had the best selection They were poisoned with protection There was nothing that they needed nothing left to find. They were lost in rock formations Or became park bench mutations On the the sidewalks and in the stations they were waiting waiting. So I got bored and left them there They were just dead weight to me Better down the road without that load Bring’s back the time I was eight or nine I was watching my Mama’s TV It was that great Grand Canyon rescue episode. With the vulture glides descending On an asphalt highway bending Through libraries and museums galaxies and stars. Down the windy halls of friendship To the rose clipped by the bullwhip The motel of lost companions waits with heated pool and bar. But me I’m not stopping there Got my own row left to hoe Just another line in the field of time. When the thrashers come I’ll be stuck in the sun Like the dinosaurs in shrines But I’ll know the time has come to give what’s mine.