Allenhurst, get on at Allenhurst
All aboard here, I’ve gotten over the worst
Elberon, this station Elberon
I let the past go, now I’m moving on
Long Branch, change here at Long Branch
For once the negative flow is stanched
Little Silver, next stop Little Silver
No more obstacles to catch me off kilter
Red Bank, station Red Bank
For a change in fortunes, I know Who to thank
Middletown will be next, Middletown
Good to be up after so long being down
Hazlet, next station Hazlet
Things are about to turn great, rumor has it
Matawan next, Aberdeen-Matawan
I’ll share my wealth freely now, without feeling put upon
South Amboy next station, South Amboy
Haven’t felt this bright-eyed since I was a boy
Perth Amboy’s next, Perth Amboy
Leaving the stress for a world of bliss and joy
Woodbridge last local stop, Woodbridge
I exercise my rights and use my privilege
Newark, now arriving Newark Penn Station
Last chance to change before our final destination
New York, our final stop, New York Penn Station
I take my place in the mightiest city in the nation
From the beaches through the marshes
Across the rivers, through the towns
In from the suburbs, out from the bedrooms
Through the tunnels, to Midtown
It’s not the future, it’s the present
It’s reality, no longer a dream
How much longer before it gets to me
Hopefully never, strange as it seems
Why does the local go faster than the express
That’s the question this particular day
We’ll get there whenever we get there
And I’m getting there, I’m on my way.
©2023 The Hesh Inc.
This one dates back to 2007 when I was still living at the Jersey Shore but I had just gotten a new job in NYC, to which I was commuting five days a week from Allenhurst to New York's Penn Station and back again. It was a step up; a return to the professional type of position that made use of my talents and abilities, rather than just a wage-slave job like the one I had suffered under for the preceding year and a half. At first I liked the idea of having an hour and a half in each direction at the beginning and the end of the day, which I would use to write, read, or communicate with friends and family. But eventually, three hours on the train (and whatever additional time was involved getting between Penn Station and the office) per day wore me down to the point where I felt I had no choice but to move to a place where the ride into the city would at least be cut in half. This song, though, speaks to the novelty of it all, before it got to be too much. Never recorded or performed.