Wave the Checkered High

Steel and thunder tearing down the lane
Iron pistons roaring through the rain
Every scar across this asphalt line
Carries all the years I left behind

You can hear the horses in the dark
Cutting through the storm to leave a mark
I will push the red line till it screams
Chasing down the edge of what it means

The grandstand rises tall against the grey
No turning back or washing doubt away
The shadow by the line begins to stand
The woven cloth is waiting in his hand

Wave the checkered high above the track
We have crossed the wire and won't look back
Give the silent nod we came to claim
Burned in gold beside the master's name

Oil and rain are gleaming in my sight
Pushing past the barriers of night
Never tapped the brake into the curve
Giving everything the gods deserve

Running wheel to wheel against the wind
Counting every corner where we sinned
Now the straightaway begins to clear
Swallowing the echo of the fear

The grandstand rises tall against the grey
No turning back or washing doubt away
The shadow by the line begins to stand
The woven cloth is waiting in his hand

Wave the checkered high above the track
We have crossed the wire and won't look back
Give the silent nod we came to claim
Burned in gold beside the master's name

The judge has seen ten thousand drivers fall
But we are standing upright through it all
He raises up the cloth of white and black
To crown the fastest kings upon the track

Just one nod
Before the thunder dies
Just one sign
Beneath the stormy skies

Wave the checkered high above the track
We have crossed the wire and won't look back
Give the silent nod we came to claim
Burned in gold beside the master's name

Across the line together
Above the track
Wave it high