Jim Adams is the steady host of Song Lyric Sunday. Jim says:
This week the prompt is Train songs and I feel that everyone should be able to find a song that fits this theme.
Here are the “rules”:
• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not. If it does not fit, then please explain why you chose this song.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient, but you can also place your link in the comments if you don’t like to wait.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.
This post is a reblog of the one I did on 8/12/19. As these are the best train songs I can think of they are worth a second listen. Enjoy!
Per wikipedia:
Train a Comin’ is the fifth studio album by Steve Earle (his first in five years), released in 1995. In addition to Earle, it features Peter Rowan, Norman Blake, Roy Huskey, and Emmylou Harris. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Train a Comin’ was the first album recorded after Earle overcame his addiction to drugs in the fall of 1994, after being convicted for possession. Earle’s last studio album had been the 1990 album The Hard Way, and he essentially stopped touring by 1992 as his addiction worsened. Most of the songs on the album are older material written when Earle was in his late teens and twenties.
Earle drew on established bluegrass and acoustic instrumentalists for the album, which was a departure from his earlier work with backing band the Dukes. He said to an interviewer at the time that he was seeking an older sound, and the album was recorded in just five days. “I was goin’ for a sound where it sounded like old Opry stuff, where everybody stepped around the mike, which is real close to what we actually did. It ended up being even more of an organic record than I thought it was gonna be.”
Personnel:
Steve Earle – guitar, high string guitar, 12 string guitar, harmonica, mandolin, vocals
Peter Rowan – mandolin, mandola, gut string guitars, vocals
Norman Blake – Hawaiian guitar, dobro, mandolin, fiddle, guitar
Roy Huskey, Jr. – acoustic bass (and inspiration on “I’m Looking Through You”)
Emmylou Harris – vocals on “Nothin’ Without You” and “The Rivers of Babylon”
Mystery Train part II is the first track on the album. There are others I like as much or better, but this one doesn’t make me cry. The musicianship is so good! Being the curious person I am, I wondered if this is part II, where is part I.
Songfacts.com says:
“Mystery Train” was written and originally recorded by Junior Parker in 1953 for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records (Phillips gets a co-writing credit). Parker was a renowned Blues musician from Memphis who is best known for this song. He was known more for his singing than for his guitar playing, and never achieved the popularity of players like Buddy Guy and B.B. King. Parker was just 39 when he died in 1971 of a brain tumor.
Elvis Presley recorded the most famous version of this song, also on Sun Records, in 1955. His version was ranked #77 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is his best-known song that was never a hit – it was released as the B-side of “I Forgot To Remember To Forget.” Other artists to cover the song include Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Ricky Nelson, Tom Fogerty, and The Doors.
Wikipedia says about Mystery Train:
Music historian Colin Escott noted “One of the mysteries about ‘Mystery Train’ was where the title came from; it was mentioned nowhere in the song”. The song uses lyrics similar to those found in the traditional American folk music group Carter Family’s “Worried Man Blues“, itself based on an old Celtic ballad, and their biggest selling record of 1930:
The train arrived sixteen coaches long
The train arrived sixteen coaches long
The girl I love is on that train and gone
Parker’s lyrics include:
Train I ride sixteen coaches long
Train I ride sixteen coaches long
Well, that long black train carries my baby home
Today is going to be a Twofer. Enjoy!
There’s a train a comin’
There’s a train a comin
Hear them tracks a hummin’
There’s a train a comin’
Can’t you hear her blowin’
Can’t you hear her blowin’
Wonder where she’s goin’
Can’t you hear her blowin’
Run down to the station
Run down to the station
Dread and fascination
Run down to the station
Don’t you want to ride her
Don’t you want to ride her
Wonder what’s inside her
Don’t you want to ride her
She ain’t bound for nowhere
She ain’t bound for nowhere
Engineer just don’t care
She ain’t bound for nowhere
She run down the mountain
She run down the mountain
She won’t even slow down mmm down the mountain
There’s a train a comin’
There’s a train a comin’
Can’t you hear her hummin’
There’s a train a comin’
Songwriters: Steve Earle
Train I ride, sixteen coaches long
Train I ride, sixteen coaches long
Well, that long black train got my baby and gone
Train, train, comin’ ’round the bend
Train, train, comin’ ’round the bend
Well, it took my baby, but it never will again
No, not again
Train, train, comin’ down, down the line
Train, train, comin’ down, down the line
Well, it’s bringin’ my baby ’cause she’s mine, all mine
She’s mine, all mine
Train, train, comin’ ’round, ’round the bend
‘Round, ’round the bend
Train, train, comin’ ’round, ’round the bend
‘Round, ’round the bend
Well, it took my baby, but it never will again
Never will again
Songwriters: Herman Parker Jr. / Sam Phillips
Tao Talk 
I love Mystery Train, but the version that I like best is by the Band. Nice write-up Li.
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Not sure I’ve heard that version. Of course now I have to go out and find it on youtube. Thank you for the compliment on the write-up.
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Oh sh*t, forgot this was what Paul Butterfield played on The Last Waltz. My bad ::blushing::
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I loved your twofer train songs! I really enjoyed Steve Earleand had to listen to Elvis twice. He was hardly recognizable when he was so young in the mid 50s. Thanks for two great songs Lisa 🙂💕
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🙂 Thanks and you’re welcome and glad you enjoyed them, Christine!
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I really liked the Elvis track. I hardly every listen to Elvis, but when I do I can see why his sound was so popular.
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Glad you liked it, Mel.
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I saw Steve and his bluegrass band on his comeback tour for the Train A Comin’ album- I’ve seen him nearly 30 times that may have been the best.
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Considering all circumstances, I can see why it might be. So awesome you were there to see it!
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He had a great band of bluegrass players with him that time–and I was in the front row!
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Was it the Dale McCourey band?? Speaking of great bluegrass bands, have you heard of the Steep Canyon Rangers? They played with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell on a post I did a few weeks back, but these guys are phenomenal without those 2. One of my friends came down to The Canyon and saw them this summer with her daughter.
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Steve later did a bluegrass album with Del McCourey Band- but this was a band of random bluegrass players. I didn’t see him on the The Mountain- [the album he did with the McCourey band} tour- he didn’t come around here on that one for some reason.
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Both of these train songs were new to me. I liked both. I do like the bluegrass sound of the first one, but then Elvis did good, too. I know songs do have the same titles sometimes, but these seem to be two wholly different songs, with the sound and the lyrics. Interesting… 🙂
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I’m glad you enjoyed them and appreciate each one for what it is. There is something about a train song that feels like change…
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Excellent choices.
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Glad you liked them, J!
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I was thinking of using Paul Butterfield’s cover of “Mystery Train.” Glad I didn’t now.
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🙂 Glad you enjoyed Elvis’.
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Great songs. (K)
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🙂
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I was going to do Elvis’ Mystery Train but I knew someone would being doing it.
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🙂
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Never heard of this song before but I like Mystery Train part II!
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Ai, that whole album it is on is first class. If you can find it, listen to it. Glad you enjoyed Steve’s train song.
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Steve Earl has such a distinctive voice. He was extremely popular in the C&W dance clubs here back in the 90’s. The line dance to his song “Copperhead Road” is still popular to this day and takes a lot of energy to do all the way through! “Snake Oil” was another good one. I had no idea why he disappeared from the spotlight, thanks for the background information.
I’ve also never been a big listener of Elvis, but this was a good one! Makes you move in your seat for sure. 😀
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So glad you enjoyed them and glad that Steve’s music was so popular in the 90s for line dancing.
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