Alma Cogan was Britain's most successful female recording artist of the 195… Read Full Bio ↴Alma Cogan was Britain's most successful female recording artist of the 1950's. Born in London in 1932, her early recordings were mainly ballads, in the style of Anne Shelton. But by 1954, this was to all change. Her first major hit was "Bell Bottom Blues", and she scored her only number one in Britain with "Dreamboat" in 1956. Novelty songs were extremely popular at the time, and Alma recorded a number of these, including "I Can't Tell A Waltz From A Tango", "Twenty Tiny Fingers" and "Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo". She was known for the giggle in her voice when she sang and was affectinaltely known as The Girl With A Laugh In Her Voice. Her extravagant dresses were also a trademark. Her final UK hit was "Cowboy Jimmy Joe" in 1961, but was fast becoming an International Artist, with hits in Sweden, Germany, Israel and Japan - she had a number one hit in Japan with "Just Couldn't Resist Her With Her Pocket Transistor" which was at the top spot for over six months. As the novelty numbers were fast becoming old-fashioned by the start of the 1960s, she recorded a number of jazz standards and pop records, including five songs written by the Beatles - these recordings can be found on a number of CDs. Famed for her showbiz parties, with guests like Cary Grant, Noel Coward and the Beatles, she was never out of the public eye until ovarian cancer tragically cut her career short. She died on the 26th October 1966, aged just 34.

The Train of Love
Alma Cogan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well the train of love keeps moving on down the track
Well I left so fast that I even forgot to pack
Well I called my baby on the telephone
I told him meet me at the station cause I'm coming home yeah yeah

Woo woo shovel more coal on the fire
Well I'm coming home, home to see my desire
Well I miss him so much, how much he'll never know

And when I get back I'll never let him go no, no

Oh my heart keeps a beatin', beatin' away
It's seems to tell me as it seems to say
A get right home just as quick as you can
Into the arms of your lovin' man

Well the train of love keeps moving on down the line
Well on the locomotive yes the number ninety-nine
That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah

The train of love keeps moving on down the line
Now on the locomotive there's the number ninety-nine
That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah
That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah

That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

The Train of Love by Alma Cogan is a song about a woman who left her significant other behind and now she's on her way back to him, hoping to reunite and never let him go again. The song's opening lines suggest that love moves forward, and she is moving with it, as the "train of love keeps moving on down the track." She admits to leaving in such a hurried manner that she didn't even pack her bags, demonstrating the impulsive nature of her leave-taking. However, she is keen to return and reunite with her sweetheart. She calls him, informing him of her imminent return and asks him to meet her at the station. The singer misses her lover so much, so much that she is willing to give up her freedom and return to him.

The lyrics feature the metaphorical 'train of love' through which the singer's journey is conveyed. The mention of the "number ninety-nine" on the train refers to the number of kisses and hugs she plans to lavish on her lover when they are reunited. The song’s message is one of everlasting love and the lengths to which a person will go to demonstrate their love. Additionally, the song reveals the urgency to reunite with the object of our love, especially when we've been apart from them for a considerable period.

Line by Line Meaning

Well the train of love keeps moving on down the track
Love is like a train that keeps moving forward towards its destination

Well I left so fast that I even forgot to pack
I was in such a hurry to leave that I forgot to bring my things

Well I called my baby on the telephone
I talked to my lover on the phone

I told him meet me at the station cause I'm coming home yeah yeah
I asked him to meet me at the station because I'm coming back home

Woo woo shovel more coal on the fire
Accelerate the speed of the train by adding more coal to the fire

Well I'm coming home, home to see my desire
I'm coming back home to see the person I desire

Well I miss him so much, how much he'll never know
I miss my lover so much, but I can never express how much

And when I get back I'll never let him go no, no
When I return, I'll never let go of my lover

Oh my heart keeps a beatin', beatin' away
My heart is beating faster and faster

It's seems to tell me as it seems to say
It's like my heart is telling me something

A get right home just as quick as you can
Hurry up and return home as soon as possible

Into the arms of your lovin' man
To be welcomed back into the arms of my loving man

Well the train of love keeps moving on down the line
Love never stops moving forward, just like a train on its tracks

Now on the locomotive there's the number ninety-nine
The train has the number 99 on it, which represents the number of kisses and hugs I'll give when I return

That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
I have 99 kisses to give my lover when I return

A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah
We'll have 99 hugs to share and enjoy together

That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
I have 99 kisses to give my lover when I return

A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah
We'll have 99 hugs to share and enjoy together

That's for ninety-nine kisses I'm a goin' to give
I have 99 kisses to give my lover when I return

A ninety-nine hugs that we're going to live yeah, yeah
We'll have 99 hugs to share and enjoy together

Writer(s): Paul Anka

Contributed by Gianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Stephen Guppy

Good old Alma. Always brilliant.!!

Mats Håkansson

4y↑1

En härlig låt som inte spelas så ofta här...

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