This song was mostly written
On a train ride down the west coast while
On tour.
Hadn't ridden a train since I was a kid
September in Seattle
Waiting on a train
I smoked my last cigarette
Standing in out of the rain
There's a cool wind blowin'
Down the alley by the depot
Amtrak down the coastline
To the city of the roses
Mama's hangin' hand me downs
Daddy's in the hotel bar
Kids reciting mother goose
Running naked through the yard
You see the best and the worst here
The richest and the poor
From the mansions on the hilltop
To the red dirt floor
Pull into the station
The sun's settin' outside
The pushers and the pullers
Tryin' to take you for a ride
Portland is a small town
With a bitter city smile
And as I walk these streets around
I might just hang here for a while