Richard Shindell - Transit lyrics

The merge from the turnpike was murder
But it's never a cinch
It was Friday at five
And no one was giving an inch
They squeezed and they edged and they glared
Half them clearly impaired by
Rage or exhaustion
The rest were just touchy as hell

Somewhere near Paterson everything slowed
To a crawl the all-news station was thanking
Someone for the call
It's a van from St agnes's choir
There's a nun out there changing a tire
By the time they got by her
Tempers were out of control
So they all hit the gas
In a dash for position
Bobbing and weaving and
Flashing their high-beams
Flipping the bird and screaming obscenities
A murderous hoard hell-bent on Saturday

And so they continued west-bound
And into the sun
Law and decorum constraining nary a one
By then it was devil may-care
Not one even vaguely aware
That they had come all the way
To the Delaware Water Gap

But how had it happened? They
Had all missed their exit's
How had it happened? Was it
Some kind of vortex?
And in they all went, bumper to bumper
Faster and faster, no sign of a trooper
In they all went, like sheep to the slaughter
Bankers and carpenters, doctors and lawyers
In they all went, families in minivans
Democrats, Republicans, weekend militiamen
They followed the river, and rounded the bend
Between Minsi and Tammany and
Into their destiny
Lying in ambush right their before them
The angry old sun right on the horizon

Sister Maria tightened the bolts of the spare
She said a quick prayer and put
The old van into gear
Thank God that the traffic was light
If she hurried she might not be late
For that evening's performance at
The state penitentiary
She entered the common room and
There was her choir
Altos and baritones, basses and tenors
Car thieves and crack dealers
Mobsters and murderers
Husbands and sons, fathers and brothers
And so it began in glorious harmony
Softly and tenderly – calling for you and me
With the interstate whining way
Off in the distance
And the sun going down through
The bars of the prison
They poured out their souls
They poured out their memories
They poured out their hopes for
What's left of eternity
To sister Maria – her soul like a prism
For the light of forgiveness on
All of their faces