East Coast Racer

Shaped for speed, strong on the wing
The sketches and designs were made
Frames were laid by hand-picked men
Working every hour they had
To build the fires
To make the engine
Looking to the road ahead
Blows are struck
To forge the steel
So she can fly
The road is clear
And words remain unsaid
He walks the high wire
With the engines and men
of the line
He sees love
He sees hope
He sees everything that they are
The need to fly far
He sees love
Men as giants
Hammers falling
The works’ own heartbeat
Furnace stacks
With black smoke rising
Steal the clean air
(Here she comes)
Joe and Tommy on the plate
Their caps are worn in racing style
Elbows jutting from the cab
Working every hour they had
To build the fire
To drive the engine
Looking to the road ahead
There was a lonely voice
And it spoke these words:
‘Run hard as you like
For the engines and men
of the line’
He sees love
He sees hope
He sees everything that they are
The need to fly far
He sees love
Men as giants
Feed the engine
Build the fire from cold
Coal and water
Fire and steam
To drive the pistons home
He sees love
They ran south
Working up the bank
Past the upturned faces
of the platelayers
She starts to take her wing
She jumps to it like a living thing
Made for speed and in full cry
They gave her the road and she holds to the line
Church bells call a beat along the track
She burns with the substance of the land
Racing through the circling lines
A rocket in blue at two miles a minute
Embers stream along her sides
From this far away now
She flies with them
Into sky
Into history
Into legend
She flies...