A Railroad Town
The diesel locomotive wailed
Like a sick bull as it approached
The intersection; five bellows.
The dreaded traffic light turned red
And all of us just sat waiting
For this snail-like, slow-moving
Freight train to pass, while the traffic
was backing up to infinity.
Life becomes a standstill in time:
If your appendix burst, pray to god;
If you're in labor, tough titty;
If late for work, you curse and swear!
So you wait and count the freight cars...
One hundred one…one hundred two…
Onward west they roll
Swaying, screeching, click-clanking
Along rusty tracks.
poem by Albert Ahearn
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Freight Train
Well I just came down from Chippewa
I had a station wagon and a hundred dollars
I was thinkin' about the girl I'd lost a year before
I hadn't seen her for some time
I thought that I might go on by
When your memory came floodin' in
And you closed that door
[CHORUS:]
Wish I was a freight train baby
Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I'd come whistlin' down your track
Crashin' in your door
Wish I was a freight train baby
Wish I didn't have a heart
And you'd need a shovel for the coal
Just to get me started
Wish I was a freight train baby
Wish I was a freight train
Well every time I talk to you
And I hear your jealous lies
I feel like I've been left abandoned
On some old railway side
And every time I hear your voice
My water just gets cold
My stoker will not stoke
And my boiler will not boil
[CHORUS]
Well every time I fell behind
And I could not get ahead
I wish someone would pull the lever
And give me a little sand
And every time I slip behind
Even further back
I wish some switchman would come out of the fog
And change my track
Wish I was a freight train baby
Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I'd come whistlin' down your track
Crashin' in your door
Wish I was a freight train baby
Wish I didn't have a heart
And you'd need a shovel for the coal
Just to get me started
Wish I was a freight train baby
Wish I was a freight train . . .
song performed by by Kasey Chambers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Crosstown Traffic
You jump in front of my car when you,
You know all the time that
Ninty miles an hour, girl, is the speed I drive
You tell me it's alright, you don't mind a little pain
You say you just want me to take you for a ride
You're just like crosstown traffic
So hard to get through to you
Crosstown traffic
I don't need to run over you
Crosstown traffic
All you do is slow me down
And I'm tryin' to get on the other side of town
I'm not the only soul who's accused of hit and run
Tire tracks all across your back
I can see you had your fun
But darlin' can't you see my signals turn from green to red
And with you I can see a traffic jam straight up ahead
You're just like crosstown traffic
So hard to get through to you
Crosstown traffic
I don't need to run over you
Crosstown traffic
All you do is slow me down
And I got better things on the other side of town
song performed by by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Crosstown Traffic
You jump in front of my car
When you know all the time
That 90 miles an hour Girl Is the speed I drive
You tell me it's all right
You don't mind a little pain
You say you just want me to take you for a drive
You're just like CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
So hard to get through you CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
I don't need to run over you CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
All you do is slow me down
But I'm tryin' to get on the other side of town
I'm not the only soul who's accused of hit and run
Tire tracks all across your back I can see you've had your fun
But a-darling
Can't you see my signal's turn from green to red
And with you I can see a traffic jam straight ahead
You're just like CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
So hard to get through you CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
I don't need to run over you CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
All you do is slow me down
But I got better things on the other side of town
Yeah Yeah Crosstown traffic
Look out LOOK OUT Look out Baby
Coming through CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
Yeah Yeah Look out CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
Yeah Yeah LOOK OUT Look out Look out Baby
CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC LOOK OUT YEAH
song performed by by Hanson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Good Morning Mr. Railroad Man
(traditional)
Good morning, mr. railroad man
What time do your trains roll by ?
"at 9:16 and 2:44 and 25 minutes 'till 5"
"at 9:16 and 2:44 and 25 minutes 'till 5"
Thank you, mr. railroad man
I want to watch your trains go by
Standing on a platform, smoking a cheap cigar
And waiting for an old freight train that carries an empty car
Well, i pulled my hat down over my eyes
And i walked across the tracks
And i caught me the end of an old freight train
And i never did come back
Well, i sat down in a gamblin' game
But i could not play my hand
I was thinkin' about the woman i loved
Run away with another man, poor boy
Run away with another man
I was thinking about the woman that i loved
Run away with another man
song performed by by Ry Cooder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Crosstown Traffic
You jump in front of my car when you,
You know all the time that
Ninty miles an hour, girl, is the speed I drive
You tell me its alright, you dont mind a little pain
You say you just want me to take you for a ride
Youre just like crosstown traffic
So hard to get through to you
Crosstown traffic
I dont need to run over you
Crosstown traffic
All you do is slow me down
And Im tryin to get on the other side of town
Im not the only soul whos accused of hit and run
Tire tracks all across your back
I can see you had your fun
But darlin cant you see my signals turn from green to red
And with you I can see a traffic jam straight up ahead
Youre just like crosstown traffic
So hard to get through to you
Crosstown traffic
I dont need to run over you
Crosstown traffic
All you do is slow me down
And I got better things on the other side of town
song performed by by Jimi Hendrix
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hit Me Like A Train
I have visions, I have visions of a happy land
And in this happy land, happy land
There is still one unhappy man
Because of all the things he wants
There is always something he cant have
Its like a siren singing, like a church bell ringing
I can feel you winning, and my head starts spinning
Now Im back at the beginning
I, i, I see you lying there and
I, I felt a wave come over me and
I, i, I thought I had escaped you
As I sat down by the roadside
And it hit me like a train
Hit me like a freight train
When the truth came down on me
It hit me like a long, slow train
It is written, I know its written
All gods children get smitten
And if theres anyone, anybody
I know the [lord] can fit that description
And if I could turn back the hands of time
Still I wouldnt know what Im supposed to change
Its like a well gone dry, like a kiss goodbye
As the grip gets tighter, I continue to fight it
Then you strike me with your lightning
I, i, I woke up in a cold sweat and
I, I thought I heard you call my name and
I, i, I had to reach out for your fingers
And before I could call the doctor
You hit me like a train
Hit me like a freight train
When the truth came down on me
Swear you hit me like a long, slow train
Lord you hit me like a train
Hit me like a coal train
When your love came down on me yeah
Say hit me like a long, slow
Lord I feel it coming down and
I, i, i, i, oooh
I, i, i, oh lord have mercy [on me]
I cant hold out no longer
I was ready to surrender
And it hit me like a train yeah
Hit me like a freight train
When your love came down on me yeah
And it me like a long, slow train
Lord you hit me like a train
Hit me like a soul train
When your love, when your love came down on me child
Hit me like a long slow [how long was it] long train
Hit me like a coal train?
song performed by by Todd Rundgren
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Landscape 23 Come Away!
When I was young and the wind was right
I could hear the foghorns down on the Thames
The great sea-voices of the ships
Coming into the Port of London
Bass siren songs in slow harmony
Calling me to faraway places
Now both the port and I have moved
And these mournful calls just a memory
But sometimes at night when the wind is right
I can hear the freight train’s horn
A mile of freight cars hauling west
And the old wanderlust stirs faintly
poem by Stewart McKenzie
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Last Hobo
This song was first released on the all aboard! album. it is the only album it has been released on.
He was born in international falls a long, long time ago
Moved to tucumcan when the ironwork got show
He was cornbread and hard scrabble and scratching for every dime
till he threw it in and he kilt the road to walk that endless line
Now hes the last hobo
Riding the last boxcar
On the last freight train
Leaving here
Now hes the last hobo
Riding the last boxcar
On the last freight train
Away from here
He tried his hand at lots of jobs and he did em all with pride
From shoeing mules to driving trucks, he mastered what he tried
It must have been ramona, she was all he cared about
When she ran away and left him you could see the fire go out
Now hes the last hobo
Riding the last boxcar
On the last freight train
Away from here
We hardly ever see him
Once or twice and he would stay a day or two
Hed ask about ramona
Then hed say that he was only passing through
Now he knows every railroad bull along the right of way
And every hobo jungle from new york to santa fe
Hes looked for his ramona on the far side of the hill
Now his sun is sinking lower and hes looking for her still
Now hes the last hobo
Riding the last boxcar
On the last freight train
Leaving from here
Now hes the last hobo
Riding the last boxcar
On the last freight train
Away from here
Words and music by george allen
song performed by by John Denver
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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No Leaf Clover
And it feels right this time
On this crash course were in the big time
Pay no mind to the distant thunder
Beauty fills his head with wonder, boy....
Says it feels right this time
Turn around, found new high lights
Good day to be alive sir
Good day to be alive, he said.....
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel
Is just a freight train coming your way
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel
Is just the freight train coming your way
Dont it feel right like this
All the pieces fall to his wish
Suck up for that quick reward boy
Suck up for that quick reward they said.....
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel
Is just a freight train coming your way
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel
Is just the freight train coming your way......
Its coming your way
Its coming your way......
Here comes
Yeah, then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel
Is just a freight train coming your way.... yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah...
Then it comes to be, yeah
song performed by by Metallica
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ordinary: An Extraordinary Thrill
The blaring, deafening diesel
Horn warned its imminent approach
To the major intersection
Of town with four cacophonies:
Each longer than the preceding
One as its screeching wheels clamored
Across the unevenly seamed
Cold tracks causing each set of wheels
To rhythmically sound their unique
Click-clack beat as the weathered cars
Swayed side to side in a seeming
Endless queue of commodities.
Far off in the distance is heard
The faint four as it rolled westward.
poem by Albert Ahearn
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Where are They Now?
Where are the bunkhouses
Where they once washed up - ate - slept
Where is the work we used to have for them
Where is the next freight train out of town
Where are the freight trains
They used to jump on and off
To get to the next work camp
The next job -the next hobo camp -
The last train pulled out
Of our abandoned station long ago
They're stuck in our town with
No jobs - homeless under a bridge
poem by Tom J. Mariani
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freight Train Blues
(first releasetraditional, arranged by bob dylan)
I was born in dixie in a boomers shack,
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
Freight train was it taught me how to cry,
The holler of the driver was my lullaby.
Ive got the freight train blues (hee, hee, hoo)
Oh, lawdy mama got em on the bottom of my ramblin shoes
And when the whistle blows, I gotta go
Baby dont you know
It looks like Im never gonna lose
The freight train blues.
Well, my daddy was a fireman and my mama hear
She was the only daughter of the engineer
My sweetheart loved the brakeman and that aint no joke
Its a shame the way she keeps a good man broke.
I got the freight train blues (hee, hee, hoo)
Oh, lawdy I got em in the bottom of my ramblin shoes
And when the whistle blows, I gotta go
Oh mama dont you know
Well it looks like Im never gonna lose
The freight train blues.
Well, the only thing that makes you laugh again
Is a south bound whistle on a south bound train
Every place I want to go
I never can go because you know
Because I got the freight train blues (hee, hee, hoo)
Oh, lawdy mama, got em on the bottom of my ramblin shoes
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hank Williams Version Of Freight Train Blues
Freight train blues written by john lair 1935. recorded by roy acuffs
Crazy tennesseans 1936, dynamite hatcher vocal, acuff mimics the train
Whistle.
This is hank williams 1939-40 version on the 10 cd box set from mercury.
(c) I was born in dixie in a boomers shack,
Just a little old shanty by a (g7) railroad (c) track,
The hummin of the drivers was my lullaby,
And a freight train whistle taught me (g7) how to (c) cry.
Chorus:
(c) Ive got the freight train blues, lordy, lordy, lordy,
Got em in the bottom of my (d7) ramblin (g7) shoes,
And (c) when that whistle blows, Ive gotta go, (c7)
(f) oh! lordy! (c) guess Im never gonna (a7) lose,
The (d7) mean old (g7) freight train (c) blues.
(c) now my pappy was a fireman and my mammy dear,
Was the only daughter of an (g7) en-gin- (c) eer,
My sister married a brakeman and it aint no joke,
Now its a shame the way she keeps a (g7) good man (c) broke.
Chorus: (one word changed, that whistle, to, the whistle.)
(c) Ive got the freight train blues, lordy, lordy, lordy,
Got em in the bottom of my (d7) ramblin (g7) shoes,
And(c) when the whistle blows, Ive gotta go, (c7)
(f) oh! lordy! (c) guess Im never gonna (a7) lose,
The (d7) mean old (g7) freight train (c) blues.
song performed by by Hank Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hobos Meditation
Tonight as I lay on the boxcar
Just waiting for a train to pass by
What will become of the hobo
When his time comes to die
Theres a master up yonder in heaven
Got a place that we might call our home
Will we have to work for a living
Or can we continue to roam
Will there be any freight trains in heaven
Any boxcars in which we might hide
Will there by any tough cops or brakemen
Will they tell us that we cannot ride
Will the hobo chum with the rich man
Will we always have money to spare
Will they have respect for the hobo
In that land that lies up there
Repeat chorus
song performed by by Dolly Parton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Freight Train Blues
(c) i was born in dixie in a boomer's shack,
Just a little old shanty by a (g7) railroad (c) track,
The hummin' of the drivers was my lullaby,
And a freight train whistle taught me (g7) how to (c) cry.
Chorus:
(c) i've got the freight train blues, lordy, lordy, lordy,
Got 'em in the bottom of my (d7) ramblin' (g7) shoes,
And (c) when that whistle blows, i've gotta go, (c7)
(f) oh! lordy! (c) guess i'm never gonna (a7) lose,
The (d7) mean old (g7) freight train (c) blues.
(c) now my pappy was a fireman and my mammy dear,
Was the only daughter of an (g7) en-gin- (c) eer,
My sister married a brakeman and it ain't no joke,
Now it's a shame the way she keeps a (g7) good man (c) broke.
Chorus: (one word changed, that whistle, to, the whistle.)
(c) i've got the freight train blues, lordy, lordy, lordy,
Got 'em in the bottom of my (d7) ramblin' (g7) shoes,
And(c) when the whistle blows, i've gotta go, (c7)
(f) oh! lordy! (c) guess i'm never gonna (a7) lose,
The (d7) mean old (g7) freight train (c) blues.
song performed by by Hank Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The city has a deadly wound
The city has a deadly wound
and on the street without a place to go,
sits an old man and his old wife
and their small white dog.
I see a blonde girl watching cars,
to buy a piece of bread
and her face tells that she has problems
and I wonder how she washes
the dirt of the road from herself?
a Red haired guy sleeps in boxes on the sidewalk
and at a traffic light there’s children that sniffs glue.
At another traffic light
there’s a couple with a baby,
that stands in the hot sun
and is dependant on motorists for their fate.
Just before a traffic circle there’s a man
with short pants,
where day after day
he sells koeksisters.
a Man with dark glasses and a hat
strokes his guitar
chord after chord and sings sad songs
and I see that his hat is empty
where he is in a small alley
while minibus taxis hoot the whole time.
Taxes are getting higher
and everybody has to bare the brunt of it,
but the poor are on the street with their pain
and wait for the misery to pass
like flowers trying to blossom in a desert
and they are surprised and scarred by life
and wait in vain for a place in the sun.
[Koeksisters=> a Baked delicacy with syrup in it.]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freight Train Boogie
This song was first released on the all aboard! album. it is the only album it has been released on.
Casey jones he was a mighty man
But now hes resting in the promised land
The only thing he could understand
Was an eight wheel driver under his command
He made the freight train boogie
All the time
He made the freight train boogie
As he rolled down the line
Whoo whoo, wah wah
Whoo whoo, wah wah
Whoo whoo, wah wah
Whoo whoo, wah wah
He made the freight train boggle
As he rolled down the line
Words and music by kevin griffin
song performed by by John Denver
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Traffic Island Cop
Just one wave of his hands
The long lines of vehicles stop
Sun burnt rain drenched
Emotionless he stands
The traffic island cop!
You curse him if the wait is long
He’s just a faceless object
Like a post stands erect
In a fast lane his whistle blows
The traffic slows….
He has home, a wife
Away from traffic a life
A face without uniform
A corner to keep him warm
A vastly different island
Where he hates to command
And hopes no whistle brings to stop
The happiness of a traffic island cop!
poem by Pradip Chattopadhyay
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Traffic Jam
Carbon monoxide
Making me choke
No a.c.
And the radios broke
Cars backed up
Far as you can see
Seems like Ive been waiting here for all eternity
Oh, and just in case youre wondering
Ill tell you where I am
Im right here (right here) right here (right here)
Stuck right here in the middle of this...
Traffic jam
I havent moved one inch from this here spot
Traffic jam
The freeways one big parking lot
Traffic jam
My radiators boiling hot
And Im stuck right here in the middle (right here in the middle)
Right here in the middle of a traffic jam
Trapped inside
My automobile
Cobwebs gowin
On the steerin wheel
Now, Im no genius
But one thing I know
I shouldnt have had that bag of bran muffins
An hour and a half ago
Yeah, and if you need to find me
Ill tell you where I am
Im right here (right here) right here (right here)
Stuck smack dab in the middle of this...
Traffic jam
I havent moved one inch from this here spot
Traffic jam
The freeways one big parking lot
Traffic jam
Well, I thought we were movin but I guess were not
cause Im stuck right here in the middle (right here in the middle)
Right here in the middle of a traffic jam
Stuck in the middle of a traffic jam
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper to
Bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper to
Bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper...
Yay-hey!
Theres a yuppie on a cellular phone
Im gonna puke if I here any more
Theres a motorcycle zoomin by me
Watch what happens when I open my door
Now were all goin nowhere fast
Well, I guess thats perfectly clear
I left home five hours ago
And I can still see my house from here
So if anybodys tryin to find me
Well, Ill tell you where I am
Right here (right here) right here (right here)
Stuck right here in the middle of this...
Traffic jam
I havent moved one inch from this here spot
Traffic jam
The freeways one big parking lot
Traffic jam
Now my back teeth are floatin and my nerves are shot
And Im stuck right here in the middle (right here in the middle)
Stuck right here in the middle of a traffic jam
Traffic jam... traffic jam... traffic jam... woo!
song performed by by Weird Al Yankovic
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Send My Body
Well that judge he found me guilty of wrong doing
And he sentenced me to hang in mid July
He look down at me and said you're lifes a ruin
If I were you I'd break right down and cry
But nobody seems to care that I ain't guilty
'Cause I never did the things they said I've done
But I guess they're gonna have to hang somebody
And It's lookin' like I'm goin to be the one
Chorus:
So send my body home on a freight train
And don't worry none that I don't go first class
Send my body home on a freight train
So everyone can see me when I pass
And don't worry none about no fancy funeral
It don't matter how they lay me down
Just see they bury me out by mama's apple tree
And send my body back to my home town
--- Instrumental ---
My mama was one damn hard workin' woman
She tried to raise us kids without a pa
The last thing that she said she was on her dying bed
Was son don't get in trouble with the law
Whenever my time comes to meet my maker
I'm going to try to do my very best
I'm going try to stand and take it like a man
When they ask if I have one request
Chorus:
I'll just say .....
Send my body home on a freight train
And don't worry none that I don't go first class
Send my body home on a freight train
So everyone can see me when I pass
And don't worry none about no fancy funeral
'Cause it don't matter how they lay me down
Just See they bury me out by mama's apple tree
And send my body back to my home town
Yes, just see they bury me out by mama's apple tree
And send my body back to my home town...
song performed by by Randy Travis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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