Story Behind The Song
I wrote this song years ago, always thought it would make a good movie, so you never know, but it was and still is a folk song.
Song Description
When John Williams is finally hired by the Rail Road, he finds himself in charge of a whistle stop train station, always waiting for that replacement that would allow him to follow his dream , to be an engineer, but never to be fulfilled, yet missing the one thing he should have learned.
| Song Length |
2:52 |
Genre |
Folk - General, Folk - Traditional |
| Lead Vocal |
Duet Male/Female |
Mood |
Quiet, Composed |
| Subject |
Life, Engineer |
Similar Artists |
Alison Krauss, Joan Baez |
| Language |
English |
Era |
1900 - 1920 |
Lyrics
Standing on the platform,
A deserted railroad station,
And a note that's tacked upon a door,
Whose paint, is old and cracked,
But they won't bother to repaint it anymore.
Grass has grown between the rails,
And tumble weeds have made their trails,
Sand is covering the track,
And I don't think that train is coming back.
(Chorus)
And the note said to whom it may concern,
The last trains pulling out and won't return,
And they tell me that this old place,
Is only fit to burn......too late to learn.
I read on about a boy, who used to whittle trains for toys,
And how he longed to be an Engineer,
And though they hired him on the line,
He only took the train one time,
The job they gave him let him off out here.
(Repeat Chorus)
Through the years the young man knew,
The joys and sorrows of the few,
Who came to take the train in search,
Of what they hoped to gain,
Now those days are gone and he would
Find himself alone, after fifty years,
He'll take that train again.
(Repeat chorus)