Time to Board

Click for your free download of the sheet music: Time to Board

We were watching an old Audrey Hepburn film when our son walked in and said that Carly was sick and had been taken to the hospital. Just a few days prior, he had been dancing with her at their school dance. Her fight against a sudden onslaught of the flu had taken her to the ER. We grabbed the kids and took off, but by the time we arrived, she had died. That was a hard day—actually, a hard year, or more—for our thirteen-year-old son, the school, and Carly’s family. A few days before her memorial service, Kameron began plucking out a few chords on the guitar, trying to put a melody to a poem his friend had written. Kimberly heard what he was doing, took his basic chord structure, and wrote the music. At the service, our son Kyle played the piano, and our daughter Karin sang Kimberly’s composition with friends.

For many years, the song sat untouched. But it was always in the back of our minds. The melody, but especially the counterpoint and harmony, were so compelling that it deserved another look. So, during a recent winter vacation, Kurt wrote new lyrics. Since the song was born during a remembrance of death, it seemed appropriate to continue that theme. The song’s title refers to the final call that comes for all of us. For the person in the song (I cannot help but think of a grandpa struggling to board the train), he has no choice but to answer that call. We hope this song will comfort you as you consider that our only hope in life and death comes from the Bright Morning Star, Jesus Christ.

Lyrics

Verse 1
Time to board, it’s time to go;
A ticket I can’t afford.
Hear the train, her whistle blows.
Conductor calls out all aboard.
Need some help to take my seat
Or I will turn back in defeat.

Chorus
Time to board, it’s time to go—
Leave behind pain and sorrow.
Some think that I’ll be alone,
But when I arrive I’ll be home.

Verse 2
Empty hands weighed down by care;
Porter helps me find my way.
Out the window, unaware.
I have regrets; I can’t repay!
I look back to say good-bye.
Some return the wave; some pass by.

Chorus

Verse 3
Train pulls out through misty gray.
No ticket—I don’t belong.
As we push on straightaway,
Conductor smiles; nods come along.
Cross the river, past the storm –
Bright and Morning Star, safe and warm.

Chorus