The Tornado

It was just starting to drizzle as I walked out the door

But l've delivered papers in the rain like that before

Three thirty in the morning, I was happy as a lark

As I grabbed my bike and rode into the dark

I pedaled through the neighborhood, the weather on my mind

The wind was picking up and howling louder all the time

The sky churned like a cauldron and the distant thunder roared

And I knew that I was in for quite а storm

A little rain never hurt no one so I kept pressing on

And I tried to tell myself, it's always darkest before the dawn

Lightning struck an oak tree as I leapt off my bike

The sirens started wailing but there was no good place to hide

I knew without а doubt, there was а twister touching down

So I crawled into а culvert to wait it out

The little bit of courage I had left was almost gone

But I tried to tell myself, it's always darkest before the dawn

And then the nightmare started, it got deafeningly loud

Every fiber in me screamed out but I couldn't make a sound

The whirling of а vortex, а violent carousel

It sounded like a freight train was dragging me to hell

And this was my prayer, \"save me from this terrible nightmare\"

That was when I saw my family with my eyes shut real tight

Would they know how much I loved them if this was how I died?

No, I vowed l'd not be murdered by а monster in the sky that night

But if I went home to heaven, at least that's where l'd belong

Yeah I tried to tell myself, it's always darkest before the dawn

So I kept hanging on

I kept hanging on

The shadows slowly melted as I was hunkered down

Till at last the worst was over, the storm was dying out

I crept out of that culvert and I went weak in the knees

Cuz what I saw was a somber sight to see

There was nothing but destruction and wreckage in that town

Cars were upside down and houses leveled to the ground

A twisted trampoline was hanging from the power lines

I blinked a tear back cuz I felt lucky to be alive

And that was how I learned to live when you can run but you can't hide

How to feel trapped in a tunnel but come out the other side

Cuz with all the stormy weather in the world, you learn to take

Life one storm at a time, you don't have to be afraid

And now when there's bad weather on the way, I stay calm

And I keep hanging on because it's always darkest before the dawn

And I keep hanging on

I keep hanging on

[00:00.753]It was just starting to drizzle as I walked out the door

[00:05.458]But l've delivered papers in the rain like that before

[00:10.158]Three thirty in the morning, I was happy as a lark

[00:14.182]As I grabbed my bike and rode into the dark

[00:18.512]

[00:19.125]I pedaled through the neighborhood, the weather on my mind

[00:23.241]The wind was picking up and howling louder all the time

[00:28.082]The sky churned like a cauldron and the distant thunder roared

[00:32.397]And I knew that I was in for quite а storm

[00:36.405]

[00:37.197]A little rain never hurt no one so I kept pressing on

[00:41.464]And I tried to tell myself, it's always darkest before the dawn

[00:46.532]

[00:48.351]Lightning struck an oak tree as I leapt off my bike

[00:52.692]The sirens started wailing but there was no good place to hide

[00:57.378]I knew without а doubt, there was а twister touching down

[01:01.432]So I crawled into а culvert to wait it out

[01:05.320]

[01:06.264]The little bit of courage I had left was almost gone

[01:10.583]But I tried to tell myself, it's always darkest before the dawn

[01:16.574]

[01:17.268]And then the nightmare started, it got deafeningly loud

[01:21.516]Every fiber in me screamed out but I couldn't make a sound

[01:26.512]The whirling of а vortex, а violent carousel

[01:30.428]It sounded like a freight train was dragging me to hell

[01:36.696]

[01:52.940]And this was my prayer, \"save me from this terrible nightmare\"

[02:10.907]

[02:15.523]That was when I saw my family with my eyes shut real tight

[02:20.392]Would they know how much I loved them if this was how I died?

[02:25.277]No, I vowed l'd not be murdered by а monster in the sky that night

[02:33.607]

[02:36.830]But if I went home to heaven, at least that's where l'd belong

[02:41.419]Yeah I tried to tell myself, it's always darkest before the dawn

[02:47.186]So I kept hanging on

[02:56.429]I kept hanging on

[03:04.197]

[03:06.956]The shadows slowly melted as I was hunkered down

[03:11.680]Till at last the worst was over, the storm was dying out

[03:16.263]I crept out of that culvert and I went weak in the knees

[03:20.426]Cuz what I saw was a somber sight to see

[03:24.887]

[03:25.358]There was nothing but destruction and wreckage in that town

[03:29.630]Cars were upside down and houses leveled to the ground

[03:34.169]A twisted trampoline was hanging from the power lines

[03:38.310]I blinked a tear back cuz I felt lucky to be alive

[03:42.109]

[03:42.814]And that was how I learned to live when you can run but you can't hide

[03:47.738]How to feel trapped in a tunnel but come out the other side

[03:52.304]Cuz with all the stormy weather in the world, you learn to take

[03:57.493]Life one storm at a time, you don't have to be afraid

[04:02.279]

[04:03.699]And now when there's bad weather on the way, I stay calm

[04:08.136]And I keep hanging on because it's always darkest before the dawn

[04:14.658]

[04:22.870]And I keep hanging on

[04:31.822]I keep hanging on