Last Train to Diepkloof

Last train to Diepkloof, hey
Last train, carry us home
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
That empty seat still knows

We left the reunion with dust on our shoes
Mandla held the ticket stub, folded in two
The doors gave a warning, the platform went thin
Jozi rolled past us, blue lights on the chin
At Park Station, Nomsa laughed at the rain
At Crown, we remembered that schoolyard refrain
You took the window seat, same as before
But one seat stayed open beside the door

Hey, carry us home
Hey, carry us home

Last train to Diepkloof, hey
Carry these old hearts home
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
That empty seat still knows
Township lights on the glass now
Your name in the phone-note tone
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
We ride, we ride, we go

At Booysens, we played your voice note low
“Don’t wait for me, brothers, I had to go”
The carriage went quiet, then Mandla said, “Play it”
Twice more through the rattle, we let you replay it
You spoke from a room with a different kind of rain
Said you found work up north and would come back again
We reached for the stop button, then watched it pass
No one made a promise we could not make last

Last train to Diepkloof, hey
Carry these old hearts home
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
That empty seat still knows
Township lights on the glass now
Your voice in the phone-note tone
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
We ride, we ride, we go

Ticket stub, warm in my hand
Names fade, but we still stand
Door light blinking, line running late
Somebody leaves, somebody waits

I thought remembering meant holding the door
Keeping your place like you lived here before
But the train keeps moving, and morning gets near
The seat is still empty, your voice is still clear
I fold that old ticket and loosen my hand
Love is not a chain, it can travel and land

Last train to Diepkloof, hey
Carry these new hearts home
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
The empty seat lets go
Township lights on the glass now
Your voice says, “Go on, go on”
Last train to Diepkloof, hey
We ride, we ride, we go

Go on, go on, we go
Hey, carry us home
Go on, go on, we go
Diepkloof, we go
Last train, last train
Carry us home

Doors open softly at Diepkloof
Mandla keeps the ticket, I step into dawn
Your seat is empty, but the road moves on