he couldn't sail

my great granddad was on the late train

he delivered the US mail

right out of college he needed a job

and he knew he couldn't sail

he held important letters inside a leather sack

i watched him shuffle on down the freight line 

but never knew if he was coming back

white smoke and black noise filled the air

while my great granddad sat on his lonely chair

on the last car leaving at night

sorting his letters by candlelight

no woman to keep him company

he had an important job to do

whatever he might have been thinking

he knew the mail had to go thru

each day could be slow or amazingly fast

each day could be his last

but he had a smile as he counted sacks

rolling down the railroad tracks:

my great granddad was on the late train

he delivered the US mail

right out of college he needed a job

and he knew he couldn't sail.