Shaped for speed Strong on the wing The sketches and designs were made Frames were laid By hand-picked men Working every hour they had To build the fire To make the engine; Looking to the road ahead Blows are struck To forge the steel So she can fly The road is clear And words remain unsaid He walks the high wire With the engines and men Of the line He sees love He sees hope He sees everything that they are; The need to fly far He sees love Men as giants Hammers falling The works' own heartbeat Furnace stacks with black smoke rising Steal the clean air (here she comes) Joe and Tommy on the plate Their caps are worn in racing style Elbows jutting from the cab Working every hour they had To build the fire To drive the engine; Looking to the road ahead There was a lonely voice And it spoke these words:
‘run hard as you like For the engines and men Of the line' He sees love He sees hope He sees everything that they are; The need to fly far He sees love Men as giants Feed the engine Build the fire from cold Coal and water Fire and steam To drive the pistons home He sees love They ran south Working up the bank Past the upturned faces Of the platelayers She starts to take her wing She jumps to it like a living thing Made for speed and in full cry They gave her the road And she holds to the line Church bells call a beat along the track She burns with the substance of the land Racing through the circling lines A rocket in blue at two miles a minute Embers stream along her sides; From this far away now She flies with them Into sky Into history Into legend She flies...