The air is gettin' hotter, 
There's [bad word] #39; in the skies.
I've been wadin' through the high muddy water,
But the heat riseth in my eyes.
Everyday your memory goes dimmer,
It doesn't haunt me like it did before.
I've been walkin' through the middle of nowhere,
Tryin', tryin' to get to heaven 
Before they close the door.

When I was in Missouri, 
They would not let me be.
I had to leave there in a hurry, 
I only saw what they let me see.
You broke a heart that loved you,
Now you can seal up the book and don't have to write anymore.
I've been walkin' that lonesome valley,
Tryin', tryin' to get to heaven 
Before they close the door.

People on the stations,
Waitin' on the trains.
I can hear their hearts beatin', 
Like pendulum swingin' on chains.
When you think that you've lost everything,
You find out you can always lose a little more.
I'm just going down the road feelin' bad,
Tryin', tryin' to get to heaven
Before they close the door.

I'm goin' down the river, 
Down to New Orleans.
I close my eyes, close my eyes and wonder
If everything is as hollow as it seems.
Some trains don't pull no gamblers,
No midnight ramblers like they did before.
I've been all around the world, boys,
Now I'm tryin', tryin' to get to heaven
Before they close the door.