Story Behind The Song
"I was walking down the streets of NYC one day and these lyrics popped into my head. The idea of these homeless people on the street belonging to someone...someone's father, mother...really moved me. This older woman I saw, it made me think of her history and how she was once 17 years old, perhaps with some hope in her life." - BL
Song Description
A very simple guitar riff dominates "Boxcars". The harmonica was added to represent the distant sound of a train whistle. The poignant lyrics ask questions about homelessness from the point of view of a child.
| Song Length |
3:18 |
Genre |
Folk - Rock, Folk - Alternative |
| Tempo |
Medium Slow (91 - 110) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Poignant, Moving |
Subject |
Liberal, Progressive, Poverty |
| Similar Artists |
James Taylor, Bob Dylan |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
They?re moving from boxcars to dumpsters
Trying to stay out of the rain
Sometimes it?s hard to tell which is moving,
The earth or the train.
Because the world?s moving on without them
Like a dumped date at the dance.
Searching for their souls on the floor,
Wishing life would give them a chance.
But we hide our ears and our eyes from it
And the children ask ?why?? and the children stare
"Can you spare a dime?" and the children care.
How about the time?
We don?t even reach for our wallets
We wouldn?t dare let our children see
So we?re taught to pass and ignore
These victims of our hypocrisy.
But that toothless man was once our father.
That crazy lady was once our queen.
He was once a young boy in love,
She used to be seventeen.
But the world?s moving on without them
And we don?t even have the time to look.
What if we all gave out one dime?
What if that?s all it took?