While riding on a train goin' west I fell asleep for to take my rest I dreamed a dream that made me sad Concerning myself and the first few friends I've had
With half-damp eyes I stared to the room Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon Where we together weathered many a storm Laughin' and singin' till the early hours of the morn
By the old wooden stove where our hats were hung Our words were told and our songs were sung Where we longed for nothin' and were quite satisfied Talkin' and jokin' about the wicked world outside
With haunted hearts through the heat and the cold We never thought we could ever get old We thought we could sit forever in fun But our chances really were a million to one
As easy as it was to tell black from white It was all that easy to tell wrong from right And our choices were few but the thought never hit That the one road we traveled would ever shatter and split
Now many a year has passed and gone Many a gamble has been lost and won And many a road taken by many a friend And each one I've never seen again
Oh, I wish, I wish, I wish in vain That we could sit simply in that room again Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that