Train Thing

This is an old one.


Train Thing

I saw her on the 4th Street Bridge that overlooks the freight yards
And a hundred directions and the choices are so hard
She was standin’ at the railing, with a grey wind at her back
I said "I always find you here" - she looked away and softly laughed
Then she motioned toward the weeds that are always there beside the tracks
And she said “The lies can grow so high, that love can never make it back.”

And I said, “It’s just a train thing.
You jus’ got a thing for trains.”
It's just a train thing
And we held hands and made our way on home

Well, the metaphor escaped me and I took comfort in the fact
That stability could mean much more than a rusty, old, train track
Her daddy was a preacher man, she grew up singin’ in the choir
With a voice that gently slit your soul, then set your brain on fire
Maybe I’m a little slow, it sure took some time to see
Maybe even then she knew her train would someday leave

And it’s just a train thing
She’ jus' got a thing for trains
It's just a train thing
And I made my way on home

Now I come down to the 4th Street Bridge that overlooks the freight yards
And a hundred directions and the choices are so hard
And I hold on to that railing and the life that's at my back
Sometimes I see her here and I always hear her laugh
And I look over the weeds that have covered all the tracks
And know the lies can grow so high that love may never make it back

And it’s just a train thing
I jus’ got a thing for trains
Oh, it’s just a train thing
And we hold hands and make my way on home

© Daniel Dain, 1996.