Well, far between sundown's finish and midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashin'
As majestic bells of boats struck shadows in the sun
Sayin', it may be the chimes of freedom crashin'

Flashin' for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashin' for the refugees on their unarmed road of flight
And for each and every underdog soldier in the night
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin'

Well, in the city's melted furnace unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden here while the walls were tightenin'
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowing rain
Dissolved into the wild bales of lightnin'

Yeah, tollin' for the rebel, yeah, tollin' for the raked
Tollin' for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked
Yeah, tollin' for the outcasts burnin' constantly at stakes
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin'

And then through a cloud-like curtain in a far off corner flashed
There's a hypnotic, splattered mist was slowly liftin'
Well, electric light still struck like arrows
Fired but for the ones condemned to drift or else be kept from driftin'

Well, tollin' for the searching ones on this speechless, secret trail
For the lonesome haunted lovers with too personal a tale
And for each young heart for each channeled soul misplaced inside a jail
Yeah, we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin'

Well, starry eyed and laughin' I recall when we were caught
Trapped by an old track of vows for the hands suspended
As we listened one last time, and we watched with one last look
Spellbound and swallowed "Has the tollin' ended?"

Yeah, tollin' for the achin' ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless, confused, accused, misused strung out ones at worst
And for every hung out person in the whole wide universe
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin'