It was always summer and the future called
 We were ready for adventures and we wanted them all
 And there was so much left to dream and so much time to make it real

 

But I can still recall the sting of all the tears when he was gone
 They said he crashed and burned
 I know I'll never learn why any boy should die so young

 

We were racing, we were soldiers of fortune
 We got in trouble but we sure got around
 There are times I think I see him peeling out of the dark
 I think he's right behind me now and he's gaining ground

 

But it was long ago and it was far away, oh God it seems so very far
 And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car
 And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
 And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
 And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
 And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

 

And when the sun descended and the night arose
 I heard my father cursing everyone he knows
 He was dangerous and drunk and defeated
 And corroded by failure and envy and hate

 

There were endless winters and the dreams would freeze
 Nowhere to hide and no leaves on the trees
 And my father's eyes were blank as he hit me again and again and again

 

I know I still believe he'd never let me leave, I had to run away alone 

So many threats and fears, so many wasted years before my life became my own

 

And though the nightmares should be over
 Some of the terrors are still intact
 I'll hear that ugly coarse and violent voice
 And then he grabs me from behind and then he pulls me back

 

[Chorus]

 

There was a beauty living on the edge of town
 And she always put the top up and the hammer down
 And she taught me everything I'll ever know
 About the mystery and the muscle of love

 

The stars would glimmer and the moon would glow
 I'm in the back seat with my Julie like a Romeo
 And the signs along the highway all said, Caution! Kids At Play!

 

Those were the rights of spring and we did everything
 There was salvation every night
 We got our dreams reborn and our upholstery torn
 But everything we tried was right

 

She used her body just like a bandage, 
 She used my body just like a wound
 I'll probably never know where she disappeared 

But I can see her rising up
 Out of the back seat now 

Just like an angel rising up from a tomb

 

[Chorus]
 
 

And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

 

And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

 

She used her body just like a bandage, 

She used my body just like a wound
 I'll probably never know where she disappeared 

But I can see her rising up
 Out of the back seat now