"The Bravest"...Prairie Home Companion

[dmleblanc]

I heard this song tonight on the "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show...it's a rebroadcast from October 2001. Here are the lyrics...I think you can hear the song on the Minnesota Public Radio website (www.mpr.org). Thought you all might like it.....


The first plane hit the other tower
Right after I came in
It left a gaping, firey hole
Where offices had been.
We stood and watched in horror
As we saw the first ones fall.
Then someone yelled "Get out! Get out!
They're trying to kill us all."

I grabbed the pictures from my desk
And joined the flight for life.
With every step I called the names
Of my children and my wife.
And then we heard them coming up
From several floors below.
A crowd of fire fighters,
With their heavy gear in tow.

CHORUS:
Now every time I try to sleep
I'm haunted by the sound,
Of firemen pounding up the stairs
While we were coming down.

And when we met them on the stairs
They said we were too slow.
"Get out! Get out!" they yelled at us -
"The whole thing's going to go"
They didn't have to tell us twice -
We'd seen the world on fire.
We kept on running down the stairs
While they kept climbing higher.

CHORUS:
Now every time I try to sleep
I'm haunted by the sound,
Of firemen pounding up the stairs
While we were coming down.

Thank God, we made it to the street;
We ran through ash and smoke.
I did not know which way to run -
I thought that I would choke.

A fireman took me by the arm
And pointed me uptown.
Then "Christ!" I heard him whisper
As the tower came roaring down

So, now I go to funerals
For men I never knew.
The pipers play Amazing Grace,
As the coffins come in view.
They must have seen it coming
When they turned to face the fire.
They sent us down to safety,
Then, they kept on climbing higher

CHORUS:
Now every time I try to sleep
I'm haunted by the sound,
Of firemen pounding up the stairs
While we were coming down.

[TLFD40]

anybody have a title to this song and who sings it?

[dmleblanc]

It's called "The Bravest" and it was written by Tom Paxton. It was sung on the show by Garrison Keilor (the host). I don't know if there are any recordings of it but like I said you can listen to it on the Prairie Home Companion website (it's a link from www.mpr.org)

[TLFD40]

Found it, thanks, awesome lyrics..

[CEREDOVFD646]

What a song and very beautiful lyrics. MR. Tom paxton did a very wonderful job. If anyone wants the direct link to this song it is http://www.prairiehome.org/performan...3/bravest.html Thanks for letting us know it was out there.