Verse 1
The station lay empty,
The last train was there,
A cold wind was moving
The night through the air.
His suitcase beside him,
His ticket held tight,
A lifetime behind him—
Four minutes to midnight.
Verse 2
The light in the hallway,
The coat on the chair,
The picture above it,
Her face smiling there.
The letter he’d written,
Still lay by the door,
Three minutes remaining—
Then home was no more.
Chorus
Four minutes to midnight,
Four minutes to choose,
A lifetime to carry,
A lifetime to lose.
One road lay behind him,
One vanished from sight,
And the clock kept on turning
Towards midnight.
Verse 3
The guard checked his watch,
Then looked down the line,
The engine was waiting,
There wasn’t much time.
The ticket slipped slowly,
He caught it in time,
Two minutes remaining
To make up his mind.
Chorus
Four minutes to midnight,
Four minutes to choose,
A lifetime to carry,
A lifetime to lose.
One road lay behind him,
One vanished from sight,
And the clock kept on turning
Towards midnight.
Bridge
Eleven fifty-nine.
The whole world stood still.
No voice from the heavens,
No sign of God’s will.
One man on a platform,
One cold railway light—
Then somewhere a church bell
Struck midnight.
Final Verse
The doors closed together,
The train slipped away,
The darkness received it
And swallowed the grey.
The red light grew smaller,
Then faded from sight—
Was he there on the platform…
Or aboard it
That night?
Final Chorus
Four minutes to midnight,
Four minutes to choose,
A lifetime to carry,
A lifetime to lose.
The witching hour came,
Then vanished from sight—
And nobody knew
What he chose
That night.
Outro
The station lay empty.
The clock carried on.
The red light grew smaller…
Then it was gone.
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty