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Old 04-30-2012, 08:17 AM   #1198 (permalink)
Trollheart
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One subject there has been a lot of songs written about is trains. Trains for many songwriters typify freedom and a sense of choice, hark back to the golden age of transport and recall a simpler time. Songs have been written about trains going places, coming from places, carrying people or things, being blamed for taking people away from other people, and of course many many songs have been written about particular trains themselves. When I went looking for train songs I found far more than I had expected, and my initial inability to think of more than six or so was soon overtaken by the plethora of odes, cautionary tales, and even songs of love, all to do with trains, that are accessible via the internet.

I did in the end have some trouble cutting the list down to the usual ten, but by judicious and careful selection, and using the criterion of trying to avoid using songs I've featured anywhere before, this is what I came up with.

Starting off with the Boss, this is from “Born in the USA”, great track entitled “Downbound train”

The Doobie Brothers' classic is certainly worth including: this is “Long train runnin'”

Nice one from Gordon Lightfoot, called “The Canadian Railroad trilogy”

And we couldn't not include this!

One of my favourite train songs, this is Bob Seger, with “Long twin silver line”.

Waits has certainly written his share of train songs. This one was popularised by Rod Stewart, but this is the original, it's “Downtown train”.

And something different, from “Infected”, it's The The, with “Slow train to dawn”.

Great song covered by several artistes, this is Nanci Griffith and friends, with their version of Guy Clark's “Desperados waiting for a train”.

Then you have of course the “Love train”

and finish with Paul Simon's cool “Train in the distance”.
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