Freight Train
Fred Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels Lyrics

Well I just came down from Chippewa
I recently arrived from Chippewa.

I had a station wagon and a hundred dollars
I possessed a station wagon and one hundred dollars.

I was thinkin' about the girl I'd lost a year before
I considered a girl whom I lost a year earlier.

I hadn't seen her for some time
I had missed her presence for a while.

I thought that I might go on by
I considered moving ahead without stopping by.

When your memory came floodin' in
However, I was suddenly overcome by your memory.

And you closed that door
This has caused you to close that door.

Well every time I talk to you
Whenever I have a conversation with you,

And I hear your jealous lies
And you say things that stem from your jealousy.

I feel like I've been left abandoned
I end up feeling isolated and alone.

On some old railway siding
As if abandoned and left to wilt on some disused train track.

And every time I hear your voice
And each time I detect the sound of your speech,

My water just gets cold
I am ridden with emotion, and usually feel chills.

My stoker will not stoke
The person who operated the train's internal machinery won't get up and carry out their duties.

And my boiler will not boil
The engine fails to heat up.

Well every time I fell behind
Each time I found myself lagging behind,

And I could not get ahead
And could not make any headway,

I wish someone would pull the lever
I have hoped for someone to intervene and pull the lever.

And give me a little sand
Add more steam.

And every time I slip behind
Each time I fall even more behind,

Yeah, even further back
Constantly losing pace, going further back.

I wish some switch man would come out of the fog
It would be nice if some switch man suddenly appeared from the mist.

And change my track
To get me out of this track and onto a new one.

Wish I was a freight train baby
I wish I had the freedom, grit, and simplicity of a train.

Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I wish I had the brute force and power of a train locomotive powered by diesel.

I'd come whistlin' down your track
I would go down a track with a loud whistle.

Crashin' in your door
Colliding into your door without remorse.

Wish I didn't have a heart
I wish I did not have to worry about feelings, such as mine or my lover's.

And you'd need a shovel for the coal
You would require a tool for the coal.

Just to get me started
Just to get me moving.

Wish I was a freight train baby
I wish I had the reliable schedule of a freight train.

Wish I was a freight train
I wish I had the power, speed, and freedom of a freight train.