Tension on the Pass

High above the timberline the iron wheel goes round
Turning through the silver frost without a single sound
Every splintered strand of steel was threaded in the gray
Pulled across the ridge before the morning slipped away

Climbing up the frozen tower with nothing in my grip
Listening for the brittle hum when heavy cables slip
Bleeding through the leather seams against the biting chill
Securing every iron joint along the silent hill

The gondolas ride easy across the mountain pass
Suspended over granite and valleys made of glass
They never know what holds them high beneath the winter sky
Just iron pulled in silence where the frozen shadows lie

Splicing braided copper while the northern gusts take flight
Fastening the split sleeves before the fall of night
Strangers in the timber cabins rising to the crest
Carried on the single thread that never gets to rest

The gondolas ride easy across the mountain pass
Suspended over granite and valleys made of glass
They never know what holds them high beneath the winter sky
Just iron pulled in silence where the frozen shadows lie

My knuckles will not open wide
The frost is settling deep inside
No medal on the summit sign
Just safety running down the line

The gondolas ride easy across the mountain pass
Suspended over granite and valleys made of glass
They never know what holds them high beneath the winter sky
Just iron pulled in silence where the frozen shadows lie