[Lyric] 5:15 to Jacksonville (The Downstreamers)

He took the 5:15 to Jacksonville
All the papers said he grew up there
Left when a hurricane took down the family home
Hadn’t been back for thirty-two years
His father played drums in a jazz band
His mother painted nails by the pier
And his brother was swallowed into the ocean
But that was a long time ago

At twenty years old, he came to the city
He used to sleep on the subway at night
Paid rent for the first time at age twenty-two
Made his first million at age twenty-fivе
He said he always had a thing for numbers
Said hе could speak to them if he tried
Now he’s got a couple stories on the Upper West Side
And the best friends money can by

Thirty years old, he got his face in the magazines
Most eligible bachelor in the state of New York
But things like that, they don’t last forever
You wake up and you’re bald and covered in stretch marks
Always was smart about saving his money
Always knew just how to say no
You could see him in bars all through Lower Manhattan
Pushing fifty and raring to go
There’s a storm blowing up the Barrier Islands
Looks like it’ll break on through to the shore
Pretty soon this whole coastline will be underwater
The waves will crash and the ocean will roar

He took a long black train to Jacksonville
Rode it straight through the night
Called a cab to take him to the dockyards
Walked until he was well out of sight
Driver said he had a bottle of whiskey
Mumbling somethin’ about somethin’ below
That night there were searchlights off Amelia Island
But they knew damn well there was only one place he could go