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The Gold and the Gray Lyrics
Don't fault the foreman
Just call the priest
Solace your worries:
This too will cease
Hum the lesson
That's bled the years
To trust the engines
And nurse the gears
You've been my comfort, yes
You've been my stone, yes
I've been lonely
But not alone
I'd like to weather the crowd again
And throw my smile to the dancing girls
We'd take the 14 downtown
And swallow the city
So bring down the lights
Release the night sky
This factory ceiling
From where I lie
I'd swear that they sounded the whistle
That we can sigh of quitting time
And all the banter boys
Beneath their lampposts
To laugh us home again [3x]
Is it gold or is it gray?
Is it gold or is it gray? (I forgot to tell you)
Is it gold or is it gray? (I forgot to tell you)
Is it gold or is it gray?
Just call the priest
Solace your worries:
This too will cease
Hum the lesson
That's bled the years
To trust the engines
And nurse the gears
You've been my stone, yes
I've been lonely
But not alone
And throw my smile to the dancing girls
We'd take the 14 downtown
And swallow the city
So bring down the lights
Release the night sky
This factory ceiling
From where I lie
I'd swear that they sounded the whistle
That we can sigh of quitting time
And all the banter boys
Beneath their lampposts
To laugh us home again [3x]
Is it gold or is it gray? (I forgot to tell you)
Is it gold or is it gray? (I forgot to tell you)
Is it gold or is it gray?
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This song is about an accident that kills a man on a manufacturing line. He doesn't want anyone blamed for the accident and the priest is called to give the man his last rights. As he lays there dying he talks to his friend about some of the joyful moments they shared, from a night on the town to the end of a long day at work.
I think the last set of lines is a question he was asked by his friend right before he died. He didn't get time to answer. Maybe the question was what he was seeing as he left his body. Was he going to heaven or hell? That's just a guess, though; I'm not sure exactly what Chris means by that.
The layering at the end of this song is spectacular. Violin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano... What a crescendo!
I meant "last rites," of course.