Crazy Horse has also released 5 albums of its own. They have received inconsistent critical reaction, partially due to the band's frequent and radical lineup changes; though bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina appear on every album, few other musicians have appeared on more than one. The band's first and best-received self-titled album also featured Jack Nietzsche, Nils Lofgren, and Danny Whitten, who became the topic of various Neil Young songs after his heroin overdose in late 1972. On Crazy Horse's 1972 album, "Loose," they were all replaced with John Blanton, Greg Leroy, and George Whitsell, who was a member of Crazy Horse's predecessor The Rockets. Crazy Horse's third album also released in 1972, "At Crooked Lake," replaced those three with Rick and Mike Curtis.
Later that decade in 1978, Crazy Horse released another album under its own name entitled "Crazy Moon." This would feature, along with the steady Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina, some guest work by Neil Young and guitarist Frank Sampedro, who had joined the band in 1975 for Young's album "Zuma." This lineup would be used for many of Crazy Horse's albums with Neil Young through the rest of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. In the late 1980s, Young used Frank Sampedro in his R&B-styled Bluenotes backing band, but did not use Molina or Talbot as he thought their style was unfitting. Now without Sampedro, Crazy Horse recruited Sonny Mone and Matt Piucci for their most recent album, "Left For Dead," released 1989. Piucci would later play on Billy Talbot's 2006 solo release. The album's title track is a pointed remark about their frustrating relationship with Young in the late 1980s, and included a number of other references to Neil Young and his work.
Gone Dead Train
Crazy Horse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, it's a gone dead train
My engine was pumpin' steam
And I was grindin' at you hard and fast
Burnin' down the rails, tryin' to heat the way
Haulin' ass and ridin' up the track
And I laughed at the conductor who was tellin' me my coal
But then the fire in my boiler
Up and quit before I came
Ain't no empty cellar
Like a gone dead train
Once was at a time when I could
Mama shave 'em dry
And raise a fever ice-down chill
Waitin' at the station
With a heavy loaded sack
Savin' up and holdin' just to spill
Shootin' my supply through my demon's eye
Instead of holdin' my time, I hope I will
But then the fire in my boiler
Up and quit before I came
There ain't no empty cellar
Needs a gone dead train
Yes it's a gone dead train
I'm gonna teach it to learn now, now
It's a gone dead train
Yes it's a gone dead train
I'm gonna teach it to learn now, now
It's a gone dead train
Gonna teach it, gonna teach it to learn
There ain't no easy day
When your daily run's a downhill pull
And there ain't no easy way
Wishin' for some jelly roll
There ain't no switch been made
To make your juicy lemon find
A spring to run a dry well full
But then the fire in my boiler
Up and quit before I came
Ain't no empty cellar
Needs a gone dead train
Yes it's a gone dead train
I'm gonna teach it to learn
You know it's a gone dead train
Gonna teach it, gonna teach it to burn
It's a gone dead train
It's a gone dead train, you gotta learn
It's a gone dead train
Gonna teach it, gonna teach it, gonna teach it to burn.
The song "Gone Dead Train" by Crazy Horse is a classic rock and roll song with heavily metaphorical lyrics about the struggle to keep one's life and dreams moving forward. The song is about a train engine that has lost its steam and is no longer able to go on. In the first verse, the singer describes the engine burning down the rails, riding up the track, and hauling ass, only to be told by the conductor that its coal would never last. This suggests that the singer was pushing himself too hard and not taking the necessary steps to keep himself going. In the second verse, the singer describes a time when he was able to "shave 'em dry", meaning he was in control and could handle things. But now, he has lost that control and his "fire in my boiler" has "up and quit" before he could get where he was going.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a gone dead train
The train has stalled and stopped moving
Yes, it's a gone dead train
Confirming that the train is no longer operational
My engine was pumpin' steam
The train was running smoothly and efficiently
And I was grindin' at you hard and fast
The train was moving quickly and aggressively
Burnin' down the rails, tryin' to heat the way
The train was moving quickly and leaving a trail of smoke behind
Haulin' ass and ridin' up the track
The train was moving quickly and aggressively
And I laughed at the conductor who was tellin' me my coal
The train driver was overconfident and dismissive of concerns about running low on fuel
It would never last
The driver believed the warnings about low fuel were unfounded
But then the fire in my boiler
Suddenly, the engine stopped working
Up and quit before I came
The engine stopped working unexpectedly and suddenly
Ain't no empty cellar
There is nothing left in the fuel reserves
Like a gone dead train
The train has come to a complete stop
Once was at a time when I could
There was a time when the driver was more successful
Mama shave 'em dry
A reference to sexual activity
And raise a fever ice-down chill
Another reference to sexual activity
Waitin' at the station
The driver is reminiscing about previous experiences
With a heavy loaded sack
The driver is carrying a burden
Savin' up and holdin' just to spill
The driver is mindlessly wasting resources
Shootin' my supply through my demon's eye
The driver is recklessly using drugs
Instead of holdin' my time, I hope I will
The driver hopes to regain control of their life
There ain't no easy day
Life is difficult and challenging
When your daily run's a downhill pull
Things are going wrong when they should be going right
And there ain't no easy way
There are no shortcuts to success
Wishin' for some jelly roll
The driver is seeking comfort and solace
There ain't no switch been made
Nothing has changed, despite the driver's efforts
To make your juicy lemon find
To find a solution to a difficult problem
A spring to run a dry well full
To restore hope and positivity to a bleak situation
I'm gonna teach it to learn
The driver will take action to fix the situation and learn from their mistakes
You know it's a gone dead train
The driver acknowledges that the train is no longer operational
Gonna teach it, gonna teach it to burn
The driver will take action to fix the situation and get the train moving again
Gonna teach it, gonna teach it to learn
The driver will learn from their mistakes and take action to fix the situation
It's a gone dead train, you gotta learn
The driver acknowledges that they need to learn from their mistakes to get the train moving again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACK NITZSCHE, RUSS TITELMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind